The Willows at Ramapo Rehabilitation and Nursing Center received 53 citations for violations of public health code between 2016 and 2020, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on February 14, 2020. The Suffern nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of five surveys by state inspectors. The deficiencies they describe include the following:
1. The nursing home did not keep low enough medication error rates. Section 483.45 of the Federal Code stipulates that nursing homes must maintain medication error rates below five percent. An April 2019 citation found that The Willows at Ramapo Rehabilitation and Nursing Center did not ensure a low enough rate. The citation states specifically that during a medication pass, one of the facility’s Licensed Practical Nurses did not administer a resident’s mineral ingredient of their multivitamin medication. In an interview, the LPN stated that the omission was an oversight. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the education of the LPN.
2. The nursing home did not ensure the adequate treatment pressure ulcers and bedsores. Under Section 483.25 of the Federal Code, nursing home facilities are required to provide residents with pressure sores “necessary treatment and services, consistent with professional standards of practice, to promote healing, prevent infection and prevent new ulcers from developing.” A July 2017 citation found that The Willows at Ramapo Rehabilitation and Nursing Center did not provide necessary care in a timely manner for one resident with a pressure ulcer. The citation states specifically that the resident’s documented interventions to promote pressure ulcer healing included the provision of protein supplements, vitamins, and minerals, but that a review of the resident’s records revealed “a significant decline in the resident’s intake of a commercial high calorie high protein supplement.” In an interview, the facility’s dietitian was asked “why there was a delay in addressing the decline in the resident’s acceptance of the supplement,” and the dietitian responded that she did not recall if she had been informed about the decline, and that she should have “re-evaluated the resident for another oral supplement.”
3. The nursing home did not adequately uphold food safety standards. Section 483.45 of the Federal Code requires nursing homes to “store, prepare, distribute and serve food under sanitary conditions.” An October 2016 citation found that The Willows at Ramapo Rehabilitation and Nursing Center did not ensure such. An inspector specifically observed “potentially hazardous food items” that were not kept at appropriate temperatures; food preparation equipment that was not properly sanitized; frying pan surfaces that were not “free of encrusted grease deposits and other accumulated materials”; and bulk food items in a storage room that were in direct contact with its floor, rather than kept on a shelf. The citation describes this deficiency as having the “potential to cause more than minimal harm.
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.
