The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center suffered 23 deaths from Covid-19 as of June 8, 2020, per state records. The nursing home also received 45 citations for violations of public health code between 2016 and 2020, according to health records accessed on June 9, 2020. One of those citations concerned findings of infection control deficiencies. The Albion nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of 13 surveys by state inspectors. The violations they describe include the following:
1. The nursing home did not take adequate infection prevention measures. Section 483.80 of the Federal Code requires nursing homes to maintain infection control programs that help prevent communicable diseases and infections. A November 2018 citation found that the facility did not establish and maintain such for its potable water system. The citation states specifically that “there was no sampling and management program or a risk assessment related to Legionella.” It goes on to state that while the facility had tested its cooling tower for the bacterium, there was no sampling of its potable water system. In an interview, the facility’s Director fo Maintenance said that they had reached out to a vendor who was “in the process of doing the water management and sampling plans.” The citation describes the scope of this deficiency as “widespread.”
2. The nursing home did not take adequate measures to prevent accidents. Under Section 483.25 of the Federal Code, nursing homes must ensure residents receive adequate supervision and assistance devices to prevent accidents. An April 2019 citation found that The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center did not ensure such for one resident. The citation states specifically that the resident was “observed consuming a mechanical soft with thin liquid diet,” although they were on aspiration precautions and had been ordered a “pureed diet with honey thick liquids.” In an interview, a Licensed Practical Nurse stated that the resident grabbed another resident’s tray and began to eat its contents, and that the LPN was not watching him because the facility was short-staffed on the day inn question.
3. A June 2017 citation also found that The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center failed to ensure adequate accident prevention measures. The citation states specifically that two residents who had been reviewed for “resident to resident altercations had issues.” According to the findings, the facility did not conduct one-to-one supervision when a resident with a history of such altercations was out of bed, as their care plan documented. The resident in question then “wandered undetected to another unit” and struck another resident “three times in the chest before staff intervened.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the placement of the offending resident in a locked unit, and the re-education of nursing staff on the importance of following care plans.
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.
