Do you suspect that your loved one is being abused, mistreated or neglected while residing in an Otero County nursing facility? If so, the New Mexico Nursing Home Law Center attorneys can help you take immediate legal action. Our team of dedicated lawyers has resolved many nursing home abuse and mistreatment cases to ensure that our clients receive financial compensation to recover their damages, and we can help your family too.
Contact us today so we can begin working on your case now. Time is of the essence. The New Mexico state statute of limitations restricts the amount of time you can file a case for monetary recovery before you lose your right to ever seek compensation at any time in the future.
This long-term care (LTC) facility is a "for-profit" 117-certified bed long-term care center providing cares to residents of Alamogordo and Otero County, New Mexico. The Medicare and Medicaid-participating home is located at:
205 Moonglow Ave
Alamogordo, New Mexico, 88310
(575) 434-4510
In addition to providing skilled nursing care, the facility also offers:
New Mexico and federal investigators have the legal authority to penalize any nursing home with a denied payment for Medicare services or a monetary fine when the facility is cited for serious violations of established regulations that guarantee resident safety. Within the last three years, investigators penalized Casa Arena Blanca Nursing Center on two separate occasions including an $8,873 fine on June 23, 2016, and a $120,510 fine on October 3, 2016, for a total of $129,383.
Medicare denied payment for services on October 3, 2016 and June 15, 2017. The nursing home also received four complaints and reported four serious issues to the proper authorities that resulted in a citation. Additional documentation about fines and penalties can be found on the New Mexico Department of Health Nursing Home Reporting Website concerning this nursing home.
Families can visit Medicare.gov and the New Mexico Department of Public Health website to obtain a complete list of all dangerous hazards, opened investigations, health violations, safety concerns, filed complaints, and incident inquiries in nursing homes in local communities. The regularly updated information can be used to make a well-informed decision on which long-term care facilities in the community provide the highest level of care.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of one out of five stars, including one out of five stars concerning health inspections, three out of five stars for staffing issues and two out of five stars for quality measures. The Otero County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have found serious deficiencies, hazardous violations and safety concerns at Casa Arena Blanca Nursing Center that include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated April 2, 2018, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to "ensure that Activities of Daily Living were maintained for [two residents]. This deficient practice could lead to the resident's not maintaining their current level of functioning with toileting and experiencing further anxiety and shame when they have toileting accidents."
The state survey team interviewed a resident just before 11:00 AM on March 26, 2018, who said that the staff does not "come quick enough when I call to use the bathroom and sometimes, I just have to go in my pants." The investigator asked, "how long [does] it normally takes for staff to answer." The female resident replied, "usually around twenty minutes. I do not know why, but they help my roommate more than they take care of me. I used to call them on my call light, but they just wouldn't answer, so I stopped asking for help as much." The resident stated that "I guess they figure I do not call them, so I don't never need anything. I don't want to bother them, and I know it does because they ignore me."
Two days later at approximately the same time in the morning, investigators interviewed the same resident who "was asked how often it happens that staff does not get to her on time when she needs to use the restroom." The female resident replied, "They just do not, and I am going in my pants. Probably four times out of five they do not help me."
When asked if "she has to let the staff no that it upsets her when she has accidents in her pants," the resident replied, "Yes they know, but they still do not help me." The resident stated that even though the staff sometimes helped her clean up, she usually attempts to do it on her own. The resident stated that the nonresponsive events typically occur during the night hours.
The investigator reviewed the resident's chart that revealed that "there is no documentation to confirm that there is a toileting schedule (a set time to assist residents with toileting) for [that specific resident]." The resident's May 15, 2017 Care Plan shows that the resident "requires assistance with Activities of Daily Living due to decreased mobility [and that the resident] will maintain a sense of dignity by being clean and dry for the next ninety days."
However, the Care Plan does not provide measurements "to assist the resident with incontinence, [and] there is nothing entered in the Care Plan to indicate that they have [the resident] on a toileting schedule or are implementing measures to prevent her from having incontinent episodes."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated April 2, 2018, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to "ensure sufficient staff to answer call lights [promptly] and attend the resident's needs. This [deficiency] can affect all 107 residents listed on the Census form provided by the administration on March 25, 2018. This deficient practice has the potential to negatively impact safety and comfort, and to impact processes such as timely incontinence care, assistance to the bathroom, and hydration of the residents."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated April 2, 2018, the state survey team noted the nursing home had failed to "provide documentation confirming that Nurse Aides employed by the facility had been enrolled in or had completed a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program or a competency evaluation program within four months of being employed at with the facility. This failed practice could impact all 107 residents in the facility."
It was also noted that "this deficient practice could lead to the facility allowing its Nurse Aides who have not been certified and need further education to care for residents who reside in the facility."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated April 2, 2018, the survey team noted the nursing home's failure to "ensure that proper infection control practices were followed." Observations at the facility revealed that "staff failed to keep hair from hanging over a resident's food while feeding [three residents]." An additional problem included a failure to "perform hand hygiene for [two residents] during insulin administration." The nursing home also failed to "keep dirty laundry in a separate space from the clean laundry, potentially affecting 107 residents" in placing them at risk for infection.
The state survey team observed a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) feeding three residents during lunchtime on March 26, 2018 "without performing hand hygiene after feeding one resident and before feeding the next." The LPN was also observed with their hair "not tied back and kept away from the resident's food."
During a separate observation, a different Licensed Practical Nurse was seen performing medication administration that morning and "did not perform hand hygiene after administering [a resident's] subcutaneous insulin injection and removing his gloves." The state investigator interviewed the Maintenance Supervisor who confirmed that "the dirty laundry and clean laundry should not be side-by-side."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated April 2, 2018, the investigative team noted that the facility had failed to "provide the influenza vaccine for [one resident] sampled for pneumococcal and influenza vaccines, when the facility failed to provide [that resident] the influenza vaccination at the beginning of the current influenza season." This deficient practice "could likely cause the resident to become infected with influenza."
As a part of the investigation process, the surveyors interviewed the Infection Control Nurse who confirmed that that resident "did not have an order for [a vaccination]." The Director of Nursing also confirmed that "there was no documentation on [that resident] getting her influenza vaccination." The Director also confirmed that the Infection Control Nurse "should have followed up on the [resident's] power of attorney's wishes."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated April 20, 2017, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to "prevent potential accidents when they failed to ensure grab bars, used by residents needing assistance getting in and out of bed, were not loose." The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved two residents "reviewed during room observations. This deficient practice could result in increased falls and injuries."
The state investigative team observed a resident's room on the morning of April 20, 2017, whose "grab bars were attached to both sides of [the resident's] bed." The rails "were loose and could freely move one half inch forward and backward and side to side." A few minutes later, during an observation and interviews, a Registered Nurse "was asked to look at the grab bar on [the resident's] bed." The Registered Nurse checked both sides of the resident's "bed, confirmed the grab bars were loose" and said that "she can get out of bed on her own. She uses them (grab bars) for mobility. That is probably why they are loose."
The surveyor reviewed the resident's Care Plan dated December 1, 2016, that showed that the resident "was at risk for falls [and] was taking antipsychotic medications." The Care Plan also guided the nursing staff to encourage the resident "to use environmental devices such as handgrips, handrails, etc. Provide [the resident] was safety devices/applied as needed."
The survey team interviewed the Unit Manager who "was asked to look at the grab bar on [the resident's] bed and confirm that the grab bars attached to both sides of [the resident's] bed were loose." The Unit Manager said, "yes, it is loose. Sometimes, they get that way."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated October 3, 2016, the state investigator documented a facility failure. The survey team stated that "the survey was conducted at every visit for two complain surveys conducted on October 3, 2016 and November 14, 2016… [that] resulted in an Immediate Jeopardy because [the resident] did not receive several doses of Xarelto (blood thinning medication to prevent blood clots) and was hospitalized with a [medical condition] as a result of the missed medication."
After reviewing the resident's records, surveyors determined that the resident "had missed a dose of Xarelto on December 12, 2016" and that the "facility administration was not aware of the missed medication." The surveyors noted that "communication was not taking place from the nursing staff to the administration about medication errors [and] several other residents had missed medications, medication [was] not available, or other medication errors." These mistakes placed the facility in Immediate Jeopardy beginning on December 12, 2016.
If you believe your loved one was victimized by visitors, caregivers, employees or other residents while a resident at Casa Arena Blanca Nursing Center, call the New Mexico nursing home abuse attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 now. Our network of attorneys fights on behalf of Otero County victims who were mistreated while living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Alamogordo. Our attorneys represent clients who were harmed through nursing home abuse by nursing staff and caregivers.
Contact us now to schedule a free case review to discuss how to obtain justice and resolve a financial compensation claim. Let us fight aggressively on your behalf to ensure your rights are protected.
We accept every case involving nursing home neglect, wrongful death, or personal injury through a contingency fee arrangement. This agreement postpones your payment for our legal services until after we have successfully resolved your case through a jury trial award or a negotiated settlement. Our network of attorneys offers every client a "No Win/No-Fee" Guarantee, meaning you will owe us nothing if we are unable to obtain compensation to recover your family's damages. We can start on your case today to ensure you receive compensation for your damages. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Sources:
Carl R. Wilander, Esq.
Licensed in New Mexico
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Attorney Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home