Many families have no other choice than to place a loved one in a nursing facility to ensure they receive the highest level of professional care. These families often find comfort in the knowledge that their loved ones will remain safe in a compassionate environment. Unfortunately, mistreatment is an all too common occurrence in many nursing facilities throughout California, where caregivers, employees, or other residents injure patients.
The California Nursing Home Law Center Attorneys have represented many Los Angeles County nursing home patients who were victimized through abuse and neglect. Our legal team works on behalf of our clients to help them receive adequate financial compensation from recovering their damages. We use the law to take immediate action and hold those responsible for the harm legally accountable.
This long-term care center is a 135-certified bed "for-profit" home providing services to residents of Bell Gardens and Los Angeles County, California. The Medicare and Medicaid-participating facility is located at:
5648 East Gotham Street
Bell Gardens, California 90201
(562) 927-2641
Briarcrest Nursing Center
In addition to providing 24/7 skilled nursing care, Briarcrest Nursing Center offers other services. Additional focused attention includes short-term and long term care, and physical, occupational, and speech therapies.
The state of California and the federal government have a legal responsibility for monitoring every nursing home. These agencies have the authority to impose monetary penalties or hold payment from Medicare if the nursing facility has violated rules and regulations. Typically, the more serious the violation, the higher the monetary fines, especially if neglect or abuse caused harm or could have caused harm to a resident.
This nursing facility received eighteen complaints and self-reported four serious issues over the last three years that resulted in violation citations. Additional information concerning the facility can be reviewed on the comprehensive California Department of Social Services Adult Protective Services Website.
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The state of California and Medicare.com routinely update their comprehensive list of deficiencies online to reflect all violations
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of one out of five stars, including one out of five stars concerning health inspections, one out of five stars for staffing issues, and three out of five stars for quality measures.
The state investigators determined the nursing home "failed to report [one resident’s] injury of unknown origin to the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the facility Administrator within twenty-four hours of the time the injury was reported to the Charge Nurse.”
The Charge Nurse noted that the severely cognitively impaired resident had “skin discoloration under the left eyelid, and the Department was notified” five days later. This deficient practice “had the potential to cause further injuries of unknown origin, which were not being investigated.”
The facility “failed to provide smoking supervision for [one resident] and failed to ensure the doorbell (call light) leading to the smoking patio, which residents use to open the door or to alert staff when they need assistance, was not defective.” This deficient practice “had the potential for [one resident] and other residents to sustain a smoking injury and be unable to alert the staff for assistance.”
A review of one resident’s Care Plan initiated on September 5, 2017, identified that the resident was “at potential risk for injuries related to smoking. One of the interventions was to observe the resident for respiratory symptoms from smoking.”
One Care Plan addressed the resident’s “episodes of screaming/yelling when cigarettes were not being provided for the frequency she preferred and was non-compliant with smoking schedules. The interventions included [encouraging] the resident to comply with set smoking schedules and to provide diversional activities.” Another Care Plan of the same date indicated that the resident “was at a high risk for falls due to impaired balance secondary to her [diagnoses].”
On December 5, 2017, the resident “was observed sitting in a wheelchair outside the smoking [patio], smoking without supervision and had no [smoking apron on].” A few minutes later, the resident “was observed struggling to open the patio door after smoking but could not open the door while sitting in his wheelchair. The door alarm was broken, and the resident could not call for help.”
Has your loved one been being mistreated or neglected while living at Briarcrest Nursing Center? Contact the California nursing home abuse prevention lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for immediate legal intervention. We represent Los Angeles County victims of abuse and neglect in all areas, including Bell Gardens.
Our legal team never charges potential clients to discuss your case through an initial claim consultation. Also, we offer a 100% “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee, meaning you will not owe us any money unless we have received a monetary recovery on your behalf. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Sources:
Attorney Anthony Lanzone
Licensed in California
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home