Nursing Home Malpractice in New Jersey Leaves Residents without Food, Hot Water, and a Working Stove for Months, says Health Department:
After Medford Care Center in Burlington County was cited for multiple nursing home malpractice violations by state officials, residents of the New Jersey nursing home were deemed to be in “immediate and serious risk of harm.”
New admissions were halted for a New Jersey nursing home after state investigators discovered multiple issues that subjected residents to nursing home malpractice, says a NJ.com article. Residents of Medford Care Center were deprived of sufficient food, hot water, and a working stove for months, and the home’s owner and administrator is suspected to have been absent for about half a year, says the article. As a result of the nursing home malpractice, the New Jersey Health Department has suspended all admissions and required that the nursing home take on consultants to run the facility and closely monitor the weight of all residents.
Several findings were uncovered by state inspections in mid-November that led inspectors to declare “immediate jeopardy.” Among the issues of nursing home malpractice endangering residents include the following:
- The six-month absence of Richard Pineles, Medford’s owner and administrator, from the home
- The unavailability for months of water warmer than 70 degrees, due to a faulty boiler. Unable to shower, residents instead received sponge baths
- Due to unpaid food vendors, a long-term scarcity of food for residents
- The expiration of the bond ensuring the residents’ personal allowances held by the nursing home
- The over-accumulation of trash and recycling
- A missing contract with nearby nursing homes agreeing to accept Medford’s residents in the event of a forced evacuation.
- An inoperable stove following a fire in May
Additionally, investigators discovered bounced employee paychecks and unreimbursed bank fees.
If the nursing home malpractice issues are not addressed, says the Department, further enforcement actions will need to be implemented. In the meantime, Department of Health staff have been onsite on a daily basis to secure resident safety; they will remain until the problems are sufficiently addressed.
Pineles denies that circumstances are as bad as the Department has described.
“There are two sides to every story,” he said.
Circumstances of “immediate jeopardy” for vulnerable residents can be dangerous, leading to illness, injury, or even death, requiring the intervention of a wrongful death attorney. If you have concerns about the quality of your loved one’s nursing home care, don’t hesitate to contact a nursing home malpractice or wrongful death attorney immediately.
Battling Poor Care, Nursing Home Malpractice, and Wrongful Death
Attorney Brian P. Murphy endeavors to protect the safety and rights of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and New Jersey nursing home residents, preserving them from every kind of nursing home malpractice. Your loved one living in a Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home should not need to worry about the quality of his or her facility or about being subjected to any dangerous circumstance amounting to nursing home malpractice. As an experienced nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian Murphy holds accountable those Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes responsible for any sort of negligence and abuse. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, or if you need guidance in choosing a nursing home, call Brian Murphy today.