Nursing Home SWAT Team Descends on Veterans Home:
Following an inspection that revealed residents of a New Jersey veterans home were in “immediate jeopardy,” a team of “mission-critical” long-term care professionals was sent by the Gov. Phil Murphy administration to address serious issues of abuse and safety violations that amount to nursing home malpractice, says a NJ.com article.
The Veterans Memorial Home at Menlo Park, a state-run nursing home in Edison, NJ, was found by state health inspectors to be deficient both in resident care and pandemic infection control following inspections in August and September. Among the findings of nursing home malpractice were the following incidents:
- Catheter Incident: A registered nurse severed a resident’s Foley catheter rather than properly remove it, which required an emergency room removal of the remainder of the tube and eventually resulted in hospitalization for the resident, who developed a urinary tract infection. Although almost always preventable, urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common nursing home infections. If left untreated, UTIs can worsen and spread and even develop into urosepsis, a blood infection, which can be deadly, leading to the unfortunate involvement of a wrongful death attorney.
- Nursing Home Abuse Incident: Another resident, left to repeatedly call for his medication, allegedly was subjected to chastisement by an enraged nurse and an aide; according to the article, the inspection report described the confrontation as both physically and psychologically abusive. This incident of nursing home abuse represents a shocking occurrence of nursing home malpractice.
- Contact Tracing Failure: According to the article, inspectors found that Menlo Park failed to perform the necessary contact tracing to address an outbreak of COVID-19 at the facility last November; the negligence in following federal and state infection control guidelines led to an eruption of cases throughout the home. During the height of the pandemic, Menlo Park reported some of the highest COVID-related deaths in the country.
In response to the above incidents of nursing home malpractice, Brig. Gen. Lisa J. Hou, Adjutant General of New Jersey and Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which manages Menlo Park and two other veterans homes in New Jersey, dispatched a team consisting of a nurse consultant, a long-term care facility administrative expert, and an infection control preventionist.
“The Department sent this team to collaborate with leaders and staff to improve and sustain the quality of care in the veterans home,” said New Jersey state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. “The team has already begun their assessment and collaboration with onsite staff to make needed improvements. The care and safety of our residents who call Menlo Park home remain our priority.”
As nursing home SWAT team descends on veterans home in recent news, refinements are being considered for New Jersey nursing homes.Earlier this month the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) declared it would consider withholding funding for new admissions in New Jersey nursing homes if glaring deficiencies related to pandemic infection control and resident care were not corrected. CMS declared Menlo Park to be out of compliance and under review, with pending fines and penalties.
Protecting Your Loved One from Neglect, Abuse, and Wrongful Death
As a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian P. Murphy is committed to fighting for the health and safety of Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing home residents. You should feel confident that your loved one living in a Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home will not have to be confronted with nursing home abuse and neglect. With extensive experience as a wrongful death attorney fighting negligent nursing homes in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Brian Murphy is committed to successfully resolving his clients’ nursing home malpractice cases. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.
