(800) BANKRUPT
Free Case Review
Fill out this form for a FREE,
Immediate, Case Evaluation
Most Recent News
- Are Tour Buses and Charter Buses More Prone to Bus Accidents?
- Why Does Washington State Top The On-The-Job Injury List?
- Why Are Vehicular Deaths Amongst Washington Native Americans So High?
- Why Are Low Income People Charged More For Car Insurance?
Nursing Home Facility Closed Due To Neglect and Threat of Infection
The state has closed its third nursing home in less than 30 days since the clamp down called for by Governor Chris Gregoire. This closure is of the Avamere Bel Air facility at 630 S Pearl Street in Tacoma. It is a 120 bed facility with one of the few ventilator units in the state. These units help patients with severely diminished breathing capacity.
The closure comes after the inspectors carried out a series of surprise inspections throughout January and February. During this time 28 deficiencies over 18 categories were found. This triples the state average of 10 per annual inspection for most facilities and more than triples the national average of 8 per annual inspection.
The inspections were conducted by the Washington State Department of Social and Human Services (DSHS). The department as gone into scramble mode on the heels of reports of abuse from a large Seattle Times four part article describing the dismal state of Washington nursing homes and the even more deficient inspection process by the severely under-funded DSHS.
Avamere Bel Air has a long history of deficiencies listed in records from the state Department of Social and Health Services. The facility received six “immediate jeopardy” citations from DSHS between August 2007 and February of this year.
Avamere: Growth before Care
Avamere currently runs 30 facilities in Oregon and Washington. This is after a massive expansion spearheaded by aggressive policies enacted by Rick Miller, their prolific CEO. Since the 2007 change of guard after his resignation while Miller pursued his political aspirations, that expansion has started to decline as of late. Later in 2009, he has been reinstated.
In 2005, while he was still CEO, the company ran 39 facilities and was expanding at an exponential rate. That year the company made a cool profit of $176 million and they were projecting a $200 million profit the next year. But then the ball dropped. Neglect lawsuits plagued the company. In 2008, the company settled with the family of one patient for almost $1 million and this was just the first of lawsuits to come.
The aggressive expansion and profit focused policies of the company has begun to plague the company. Complaints and violations forced them into a voluntary closure of another Tacoma facility by the name of Avamere Highlands. A volunteer closure is rare and can only mean that the writing was on the wall and the cost to bring the facility back to standard was more than the profit margin.
As Rick Miller is being groomed as the GOP congressional candidate for district 29 in Oregon, his nursing home facility received Medicare’s lowest rating of one star across all categories. This isn’t the only facility that Medicare has rated of theirs. Their ratings of facilities in Washington are pathetically low usually averaging between 1 and 2 stars out of five across all facilities.
Nursing Home Neglect
The closure comes following the discovery of bed sores on many of the patients. The sores found on residents in the Bel Air facility had been found to exist on the first inspection conducted by DSHS in December and had not been addressed for a full three months even though they had been pointed out by inspectors.
Bed sores are usually the first sign found to indicate a larger problem within most facilities. They are generally discovered by family members or inspectors. They can lead to horrible consequences for the patient such as larger infections as they fester. These wounds generally stay open if not treated and can spread infection throughout the facility. They also considerable lower the patient’s standard of living, mental well being, ability to move independently, and generally can lower their life expectancy.
The September closure in Tacoma left many seniors and their families scrambling. The closure of the Bel Air facility is no different. The conditions in the facility had gotten so bad that there was a mass exodus of patients even before the closure. The facility was almost full in August. Since then, it only has 43 patients left. All of whom have been left having to face Medicare paperwork all over again, let alone trying to find a facility that can accommodate their special needs with an open room.
The state is now putting 19 of the patients in need of a ventilator unit on special care until and open spot can be found.
Nursing Home Crisis
These closures are no good for anyone. The number of senior care facilities is growing, but as they grow the cost gets increasingly cost prohibitive for many seniors. The gap between care rises as the difference between care facilities that are almost purely funded by Medicare dispense the lowest care so to yield the largest profit and facilities that are compensated by wealthier residents invest in care, but retain essentially the same profit margins. This is a dismaying trend since the whole point of Medicare is the care of the individual regardless of profit.
The closing of facilities will continue as DSHS keeps up the pace of their inspections. There is not current internal data available, but the violations and the things they see must be shocking. Particularly in other Avamere type facilities that yield one to two stars and continue to rack up violations without changing their level of care.
It is important that you monitor your loved ones in care facilities. During visits take the time to really talk to them, listen to them, perhaps inspect them for neglect or abuse, and report any findings to DSHS.
If you find signs of nursing home neglect or nursing home abuse it is crucial that you retain experienced legal council immediately. Call Phillips Webster for a consultation into your legal rights.
Learn More About:
