Many families have no other opportunities than to turn over the care and services of their loved one to medical professionals at a nursing facility. Unfortunately, neglect, abuse, and mistreatment are serious problems at many nursing facilities nationwide, including those in Georgia.
If your loved one was victimized through mistreatment by caregivers or resident-to-resident assault while living in a Towns County nursing facility, contact the Georgia Nursing Home Law Center attorneys now. Let our team of lawyers work on your behalf to ensure that your family receives monetary recovery for your damages. We can begin working on your case today to ensure that those responsible for causing the harm are held legally and financially accountable.
This nursing facility is a "not for profit" Medicare/Medicaid-participating home providing services to residents of Hiawassee and Towns County, Georgia. The 112-certified bed long-term care center is located at:
386 Belaire Drive
Hiawassee, Georgia 30546
(706) 896-2231
Chatuge Regional Nursing Home
The investigators from the federal government and Georgia penalize caregiving facilities identified with severe violations of nursing home regulations by withholding payment for Medicare services or imposing monetary fines.
Information concerning the facility can be reviewed on the Georgia Nursing Home Reporting Website.
Families can visit Medicare.gov and the Georgia Department of Public Health website to obtain a complete list of all violations, citations, and deficiencies identified by investigators and surveyors.
According to Medicare, the 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.
Failure to Provide and Implement an Infection Protection and Control Program - citation date June 28, 2018
According to investigators, the facility "failed to follow policy titled: Infection Control. A nebulizer face mask, medication cup, and tubing equipment were not cleaned before and after use for [a resident]."
Documentation shows that "the equipment was left on the bed in [the resident's] room after use at 8:00 AM." The facility's policy always guides the nursing staff to keep the nebulizer medication cup and other equipment clean before and after use according to the manufacturer's guidelines.
That morning at 8:00 AM, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) administered nebulizer treatment to the resident and "left the nebulizer machine, dirty medication cup, face mask and tubing uncovered on [the resident's] bed." The surveyor observed the dirty equipment on the hour between 9:00 AM and 2:00 PM. At 2:30 PM, the surveyors observed the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) using "the same nebulizer machine, dirty medication cup, face mask and tubing to administer nebulizer treatment to [the same resident] and left the equipment on the [resident's] bed."
Failure to Develop, Implement and Enforce a Program That Investigates, Controls and Keeps Infection from Spreading - citation date July 13, 2017
The state surveyors documented that the nursing home "failed to maintain proper infection control standards during dining experiences." The investigators observed a meal service in the blue dining room where "meal trays were placed next to the trash bin. There was less than a 1-foot measurement between the food rack and the trash bin. Two staff members and two family members access the trash bin with their bare hands [before] passing trays, without hand sanitizing."
At that time, the surveyor "asked the staff if the trash bin should be so close to the food that has been passed." The staff member responded "no" and proceeded to move the food cart away from the trash bin." During that time, the staff was noted to be "removing gloves, after assisting residents. Lifting the trash bin with their hands, disposing the used gloves, then donning another pair." The surveyors did not observe the staff using hand sanitizers "before donning and disposing of their gloves."
Were you the victim of mistreatment, neglect or abuse while living at Chatuge Regional Nursing Home? Contact the Georgia nursing home abuse lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 now. We represent Towns County victims of abuse and neglect in all areas including Hiawassee.
Our network of attorneys provides every potential client an initial free case consultation. Also, we offer a 100% "No Win/No-Fee" Guarantee, meaning you do not owe us any money until we have received a monetary recovery on your behalf. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Attorney Lance D. Lourie
Licensed in Georgia
Hiawassee Nursing Home Injury Attorney Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home