Nursing Home Violations Put Lives at Risk
Officials report a “system failure” at Tennessee Veterans' Home
July 25, 2006
According to a 400-page detailed report of the problems found in Tennessee long-term care facilities, nine out of 21 violations that were recently exposed at the State Veterans' Home were serious enough to jeopardize resident's lives.
State inspectors discovered last month during an investigation that the nursing home neglected to protect their patients from harm, follow doctors' orders, or prevent and treat bedsores.
The violations uncovered at the facility were ranked by severity said Judy Eads, assistant commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health's bureau of health licensure and regulations. According to Eads, over two-thirds of the infringements were the most serious type, deemed “immediate jeopardy,” which means that patient injuries are serious enough that their safety and health were in danger because of nursing home neglect.
“Very rarely do you see this many violations of this severity. I don't know if I've ever seen this many,” said Eads. “It means that there is a system failure. It means the management failed to provide the services that they should have for those residents.”
Most of the long report released by the state Department of Health detailed the inadequacy of the nursing home staff to prevent patients from getting bedsores, which occurs when tissue decays from lack of blood circulation resulting in potentially life-threatening infections.
The Veterans' Home has been forced to pay $6,000 a day in penalties to the state and federal government until the violations are fixed. Management stated that the home is in full cooperation with officials and have come up with a plan of correction that was accepted.
The facility will be monitored for an undetermined period of time. “We will ensure that they provide the care those residents need,” Eads said.
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