Recently, myfoxdc.com reported that St. Thomas More Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Maryland is responsible for a fatal neglect case. The home has a considerable history of safety and health violations. One former resident claims he nearly died from neglect at the Center.
Our nursing home neglect lawyers at Pintas & Mullins are particularly concerned after one state health official confirmed that patients at this facility have a high risk of health problems and accidents due to repeated inspection deficiencies.
The patient highlighted in this artcle who was bedridden and frail even six months after his stay at the Center.
In May, the patient was sent to the nursing home for rehabilitation after being discharged from a hospital. Medical records showed that the victim had a sacral ulcer, also known as a bed sore or pressure ulcer. At that point of time, the ulcer was mild and healing.
A month later, the victim had to be rushed back to the hospital because the once small pressure ulcer was now almost as long as a football covering his buttocks and back and with infections deep into the muscles and tissue.
There was considerable gangrene and a rancid smelling discharge that sent him into septic shock, at which point the body’s organs start to shut down. Apparently one of the doctors told the man’s wife that if he had not been taken to the hospital, he would have most likely died.
The patient was in and out of the hospital and was, at the time of publication of the article, recuperating at another care home.
The victim’s wife registered a complaint against the nursing home with the Maryland Office of Health Care Quality, an agency that supervises nursing homes. The agency stated that the home was under deep scrutiny.
In the state inspections, the Center was cited for 60 shortcomings in 2010, 36 more the following year and 27 deficiencies this year, which is close to three times the state average. Some of the deficiencies found there were chemical restraints, oversight of writing care plans, infringement of resident rights and medication mistakes.
Out of over 200 nursing homes in Maryland, St. Thomas More is only one of two on the state’s list of special focus facilities. This nationwide Medicare list of nursing homes includes facilities that have a record of constantly inferior quality of care. Of the two homes, St. Thomas More is the only one that hasn’t improved in the course of 19 months.
The home has until March of next year to make considerable progress. If it fails the state will most likely close it down.
Investigators received multiple complaints at the nursing home in 2012 that speak of terrible neglect. One such instance was the death of a patient in 2005 from infected bed sores. A medical malpractice lawsuit in connection with the death was settled in 2011 for an undisclosed amount.
Unfortunately, owing to the monetary caps on jury awards and the legal challenges associated with filing a medical malpractice lawsuit, it is not always easy to hold neglectful nursing homes accountable.
Though the state penalized St. Thomas More with thousands of dollars in fines and sanctions in 2011, there was no improvement in the facility. In addition, though the company bragged on Medicare’s website that their number of nurses on staff was a good number above the average, they did not mention that the national social insurance program also ranked them much below average for health inspections and below average overall.
If your loved one suffered neglect or abuse at a nursing home anywhere in the U.S, you need to ensure that justice is served. Get in touch with a
nursing home abuse attorney for assistance in fighting for compensation.
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