Several nursing homes in Harrisburg and the surrounding area are facing allegations of nursing home abuse and neglect following a statewide investigation by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Golden Living Center and Spring Creek Rehab and Health Care Center in Harrisburg, PA, as well as Pleasant Acres in York, PA, have been penalized for violating sanitation and medication rules as set forth by the Department of Health.
Such violations have led to a lawsuit filed against Pleasant Acres, and have led to several other pending charges against Golden Living Center.
The Allegations
At Golden Living Center, residents have become ill after being left unattended for hours while wearing diapers full of urine and feces. One resident died after falling ill at the facility, presumably from neglect and lack of proper care.
At Spring Creek Rehab and Health Care Center, several residents erroneously received medications that were not prescribed to them. The medications could have caused serious harm or death to the patients, either through interactions with other medications or by being unneeded.
The facility is also under scrutiny for providing resident with bedsheets that were covered with dried food and feces.
Pleasant Acres Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in York, PA, has been flagged by the Department of Heath for several “serious harm” violations, including one violation for a complete lack of CPR trained staff members.
During an inspection in May 2014, Department of Health officials discovered the nursing home did not employ any staff members who were trained in CPR. Should an emergency situation arise at the facility, staff members were reportedly instructed to, “…not do CPR…” and call 911 instead.
While officials from Pleasant Acres have stated the facility now has CPR trained individuals on staff, many of its resident’s family members were left wondering why the nursing home did not already have such standard, life-saving capabilities in place.
The Potential Outcome
Department of Health officials have responded to the recent violations and lawsuit by stating they are deeply concerned for the health and safety of vulnerable nursing home residents throughout Pennsylvania.
Currently, the Department of Health does not directly notify residents and their families of any violations a nursing home may receive, but the department does encourage all residents, potential residents, and their family members to view nursing facility inspection reports on its website. All reports are posted to the website within 41 days after an onsite visit.
Department officials have also stated they are currently re-evaluating its inspection process to determine what measures can be taken to ensure all nursing homes are compliant in the future.
Additionally, the department has plans to implement a Pennsylvania Nursing Home Quality Improvement Task Force, and is in the process of selecting a team of skilled individuals for long-term care analysis.
If you suspect your elderly loved one has been the victim of nursing home abuse or neglect, contact the compassionate nursing home abuse lawyers at Schmidt Kramer today. We care about the health, safety, and dignity of our aging citizens, and we will fight tirelessly to get them the justice they deserve.
Call (717) 888-8888 or fill out our Case Review Form for a FREE evaluation.