The Pines at Poughkeepsie Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation suffered 19 fatalities from Covid-19 as of July 12, 2020, state records report. The nursing home also received 12 citations over violations of public health code between 2016 and 2020, according to health records accessed on July 13, 2020. One of those citations concerns findings that the facility’s infection control procedures were deficient. The Poughkeepsie nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of two surveys by state inspectors. The violations they describe include the following:
1. The nursing home did not take adequate steps to prevent infection. Section 483.30 of the Federal Code stipulates that nursing homes must create and maintain a program designed to prevent and control infection and disease. A December 2018 citation found that Pines at Poughkeepsie Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation did not ensure such. The citation stats specifically that staff did not follow proper hand hygiene during a lunch meal observation, and further that staff did not perform proper gloving and hand hygiene during wound care treatment. During the meal observation, a staff member was observed picking up her badge from the floor after it fell and placing it back on her clothing, then reaching over and holding the resident’s arm and continuing to assist the resident with lunch meals and fluid, without first washing her hands. In the same meal observation, a Certified Nursing Assistant was observed removing the leg rests from a resident’s wheelchair, placing them on the floor, placing her hand on the resident’s arm, then leaving the resident, removing a lunch tray from a dining cart, delivering it to another resident, opening it, cutting the meat, and opening the milk container, all without being observed washing her hands. With respect to the wound observation, a Registered Nurse Manage was observed washing her hands, preparing a dressing field, donning gloves to remove the soiled dressing that had drainage on it, and cleansing the wound without removing the soiled gloves or washing her hands. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the in-servicing of relevant staff.
2. The nursing home did not maintain low enough medication error rates. Section 483.45 of the Federal Code requires nursing homes to ensure that “medication error rates are not 5 percent or greater.” A December 2018 citation found that The Pines at Poughkeepsie Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation did not ensure such. The citation states specifically that in one instance, a resident was incorrectly administered eyedrops; in another, a resident was not administered insulin at the proper time. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the in-servicing of relevant employees.
3. The nursing home did not take adequate measures to prevent accidents. Section 483.25 of the Federal Code stipulates that nursing homes must ensure residents receive adequate supervision to prevent accidents. A December 2018 citation found that The Pines at Poughkeepsie Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation did not ensure such. The citation states specifically that a resident who had been reviewed for falls was not given necessary supervision and devices to prevent falls. The resident, according to the citation, did not have adequate interventions in place to prevent her from sliding out of her wheelchair. The citation describes an instance in which a Certified Nursing Assistant “heard a call for help and saw the resident on her right side on the dining room floor.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the in-servicing of staff and the review of the resident’s plan of care.
The attorneys at the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC work diligently to protect the rights of nursing home residents. Please contact us to discuss in the event you have a potential case involving neglect or abuse.