Richmond, CA Nursing Home Found Responsible for Patient Death
November 1, 2005
Shields Richmond Nursing Center, a nursing home in Richmond, CA, has been found guilty in causing the death of one of its patients. The state of California has issued a $90,000 fine in the unnamed 60-year-old's death. The man's name was withheld for confidentiality reasons, but he was admitted to the facility in 2004 with severe health problems.
The man was determined to be at a high risk for falling over and actually fell in two separate, earlier, incidents. He died on March 3, 2005 from a fall in his wheelchair, after hitting his head on the ground. The patient also suffered a heart attack in conjunction with the fall. The facility knew of the man's condition and yet did not take appropriate measures in guarding his safety, according to the state's findings.
The Shields Richmond Nursing Center has a history of poor patient care and has been involved in several investigations and other actions surrounding its abuse of state nursing home regulations.
California Health Officials have given the department its most serious action: an "AA citation." An AA citation is issued in instances of resident patient's deaths that are directly or officially attributed to the facility. The citations carry fines that can range from $25,000 to $100,000.
According to the citation, the nursing home failed to assess the patient's mobility, follow the homes evaluation procedures, did not report unusual circumstances surrounding the man's death, fialed to inform the department of health to construction and other alterations to the building that led to the fall, and also failed to note that the patient had only one leg and therefore was off-balance.
During testimony, evidence also surfaced that nursing home officials told the man's family members that the death occurred due to a heart attack only.
Owner William Shields has not commented on the finding. The Shields Richmond facility had another citation issued in 2000 for failing to recognize symptoms of a diabetic coma in a 67-year-old patient who later died.
In another report, The Contra Costa Times stated that a staff administrator saw owner William Shields destroying medical records and replacing them with fake ones that he had rewritten.
For more information on California's nursing homes, contact us to confer with a California nursing home abuse lawyer.
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