|
New report
by Nursing Home Care Watchdogs exposes risks to residents in Pima
County nursing homes; Singles out one of area's most troubled
operators…Advocates expose short-staffing, bed sores, and
repeated care violations
at area homes owned by The Ensign Group
TUCSON, Ariz., April 27 /PRNewswire/
-- A new report issued by a newly-formed coalition exposes serious
care problems for seniors and people with disabilities at Pima
County nursing homes.
Nursing home residents, their family members,
staff and advocates are calling on state and county government
officials to address these problems and hold local nursing homes
accountable to a safer level of care. The report finds a variety of
problems with the nursing home inspection system and makes
recommendations for improvements.
"It's time to clean up Tucson
nursing homes, to make sure our most vulnerable citizens are safe
and well cared-for," said Anita Royal, Public Fiduciary for Pima
County.
Lax enforcement has made it
possible for some nursing home operators to severely lower the
quality of care and safety. The report, "Are Our Seniors Safe? A
Report on Quality Problems in Pima County Nursing Homes" reveals
that Arizona nursing homes lag far behind national patient quality
standards. Statewide, Arizona homes receive more patient care
violations than the national average, and staff below national
averages.
In particular, the report exposes
three homes owned by The Ensign Group as having some of Pima
County's most troubled patient care. The Ensign Group, a large
out-of-state for-profit chain, is one of the fastest-growing nursing
home companies in the Western United States and has a very troubled
patient care record.
Some of the problems at local
Ensign-operated homes in Pima County found in the report:
* Partial colon removal from a
patient who didn't receive prescribed
anti-constipation
medications.
* Medication errors resulting
in emergency hospitalizations.
* A fractured hip left
untreated and undiagnosed for 11 days.
* Bleeding scabs that smell of
urine and feces.
The Ensign Group's Tucson
facilities are Sabino Canyon Rehabilitation and Care Center (5830 E.
Pima St.); Waverly Park Care Center (2001 N. Park Ave.) and Catalina
Healthcare Center (2611 N. Warren Ave.).
In order to call for change,
advocates for seniors and people with disabilities joined together
to form Nursing Home Watch, a coalition. Coalition participants in
Pima County include members of the Pima Council on Aging, Arizona
Center for Disability Law, Gray Panthers, Alliance of Retired
Americans, Arizona Center on Aging, ACORN and others.
"We all need to do our part to
improve care for Pima County's most vulnerable seniors. As part of
the Pima Council on Aging, I support efforts to improve care and
shine a light on nursing home operators that are not giving the best
care possible," said Sam Arcus, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman
Coordinator for the Pima Council on Aging.
The Pima Health System, an entity
of the Pima County, contracts with nursing homes for care of seniors
and people with disabilities and has enforcement capabilities that
supplement the state's. Activists are calling on county and state
officials to force local nursing homes to provide better care. They
are calling for a local investigation into homes with the most
troubled records, specifically those operated by The Ensign Group.
"It's a tragedy that our local
nursing homes don't measure up to basic patient care standards,"
said Carlos Salaz, a member of the Alliance of Retired Americans.
"We need to act now to improve care for Pima County's seniors
because everyone who needs decent nursing home care should get it."
The Ensign Group operates nine
nursing homes and three assisted living facilities in Arizona, as
well as 34 other facilities in California, Texas, and Washington
state. The Nursing Home Watch report uses this company's local
nursing homes to highlight to need to improve patient safety and the
quality of care in Pima County nursing homes.
Nursing Home Watch is a coalition
of senior advocates, clergy, nursing home staff, nursing home
residents and family members, the Service Employees International
Union and community supporters who have united to improve the safety
and quality of nursing home care.
|
Now,
keep up to date with daily feeds of newly posted stories about America's
Seniors...click on the box to the left