Do you have a duty to protect your loved one from abuse or neglect while they are living in a nursing facility and have apparent concerns of mistreatment? If so, our nursing home neglect attorneys can help. Our legal network of lawyers has aided many families in Phillips County whose loved one was victimized by caregivers and other residents at the nursing home and suffered injury or died unexpectedly. Contact us today to ensure your loved one begins living a life of respect and dignity, and those responsible for their harm are held legally accountable. We can start working on your financial compensation now.
This nursing center is a "for-profit" home providing services to residents of Helena and Phillips County, Arkansas. The 100-certified bed long-term care home is located at:
116 November Drive
Helena, Arkansas, 72342
(870) 338-9886
It is the legal responsibility of Arkansas and federal government investigators to hold nursing homes accountable if they have violated rules and regulations that harmed or could have harmed a resident. These penalties include monetary fines and the denial of payment for Medicare services. Within the last three years, state and federal regulators have not fined Crestpark Helena Nursing Home, but the facility did receive two formally filed complaints concerning substandard care. Additional documentation about fines and penalties can be found on the Arkansas Adult Protective Services website concerning this nursing home.
Families can review publically-available data on every long-term and intermediate care facility in Arkansas by visiting numerous state and federal government databases including Medicare.gov and the AR Department of Public Health website. This data is a valuable tool to use when choosing the best location to place a loved one who needs the highest level of services and care in a safe environment.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of one out of five stars, including two 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 Phillips County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have found serious deficiencies, hazardous violations and safety concerns at Crestpark Helena Nursing Home that include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated August 17, 2018, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to "ensure a resident who smokes had her oxygen removed [before] smoking to prevent potential fire/burn injury." The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved a resident "who smoked and required oxygen therapy. This failed practice has the potential to affect four residents who smoked."
An observation was made of a resident on August 13, 2018, at 3:53 PM when the smoker resident "was outside in the smoking area with an oxygen cylinder on the back of her wheelchair. The oxygen was on and running a 2.5 Liters per nasal cannula. The resident did not have a cigarette in her hand, nor did the other two residents in the smoking area at this time. The Activity Director supervising in the smoking area was asked, 'Did she [the resident] have a cigarette' the Activity Director stated, 'Yes.'"
The state investigator interviewed the Activity Director and asked: "How often does [the resident] smoke?" The Activity Director responded, "She only smokes once in a while." When asked how many times the resident smoked last week outside of the facility, the Activity Director replied, "Twice that I am aware of." The Director was asked if they were "Aware of the dangers of oxygen and lighters?" The Activity Director replied, "Yes, but I turn her oxygen off while she is smoking, then turn it back on when she is done."
The state survey team interviewed the MDS (Minimum Data Set) Coordinator who was asked if they "Consider smoking part of [the resident's] activities of daily living." The Coordinator responded, "Yes." When asked if "Oxygen should be identified in the interventions of her smoking Care Plan, the Coordinator replied, "Yes." When asked if smoking should be identified in the Care Plan the Coordinator stated that she does not take the Care Plan "with her when she smokes." The MDS Coordinator was asked if the "Activity Director is qualified to turn the oxygen cylinder on and off." The Coordinator responded, "No." The investigator reviewed the resident's Nurse's Notes an Accident and Incident Reports but found "no documentation to indicate the resident had ever experienced a burn injury while smoking."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 24, 2017, the state investigator noted the facility's failure to "ensure an accident with injury was investigated in accordance with state law, [and] determine the circumstances that caused the accident, to rule out possible neglect and to facilitate the ability to effectively protect the resident from further potential accidents or incidents."
The incident involved a resident "who had falls in the last six months. This failed practice has the potential to affect two residents who had fallen with an undetermined cause in the last six months." A review of the facility Incident Accident Report that was dated March 30, 2017, and the resident's Nurse's Notes confirmed that a nurse was called to "the resident's room. Upon arrival, the resident was observed lying next to her bed on the floor on her right side." The nursing team notified the physician and received an order for an x-ray and notified the resident's daughter.
However, the state investigator said that there was "no documentation of an investigation to determine the circumstances or factors that may have caused or contributed to the accident. The report was signed as completed by a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), who according to the Director of Nurses, was no longer employed by the facility."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 24, 2017, the state investigator documented a nursing home deficiency. The facility failed to "ensure their Abuse Prohibition Policies and Procedures were implemented as evidenced by failure to ensure an accident with injury was investigated in accordance with state law, to determine the circumstances that caused the accident, to rule out possible neglect and facilitate the ability to effectively protect the resident from further potential accidents and incidents."
The investigator interviewed the facility Administrator on May 23, 2017, who "Was asked if she knew how the incident occurred with the resident on March 30, 2017." The Administrator replied, "No. I do not know how she fell out of the bed. We just found her on the floor, and she had a neck fracture." The investigator asked the Administrator "if an investigation was completed to attempt to determine what caused the accident." The Administrator replied, "No. I did not think I need to do one, but I will do one now."
In a separate summary statement of deficiencies dated June 17, 2016, the state investigator documented the facility's failure to "ensure an allegation of misappropriation of property was reported to the Office of Long Term Care (OLTC) and other officials [by] state laws." The investigator also documented a facility's failure "to conduct a thorough investigation to protect residents from further misappropriation of property." The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved one resident "whose family made an allegation of misappropriation of resident property by staff. This failed practice has the potential to affect all thirty-nine residents who receive money from their family according to the list provided by the Director of Nurses on June 30, 2016."
A review of a documented Office of Long Term Care Incident and Accident Report dated January 1, 2016, at 3:00 PM revealed that a family member of the resident had "called the facility and talked with a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) [saying] that the resident had called his wife and asked for more money and they had just brought him $20." The resident "told his wife that he had let the little girl in the laundry have it. Other family members stated that this has been going on a while."
The facility report documented that a staff member had "talked with a resident who was alert" and said that "he gave her the money. They were talking, and she made the statement that her phone was not working. He told the employee that he would give her the money to get it fixed (turn it back on). He said we were trying to get that little girl in trouble. He stated he would give me the money also if I needed it. The employee was suspended and reprimanded for taking the money even though the resident offered it. There was no documentation under the Law Enforcement notification section and the section for the Date Incident Reported to OLTC was left blank."
The state investigator interviewed the facility Administrator who "was asked to provide proof that the incident was reported to the OLTC." The Administrator replied, "no ma'am, I did not do it. I thought that I did." The Administrator was then asked if the " she contacted the police and stated, 'No, I cannot find proof and I do not remember if I did or not.'" The investigator documented the "facility's failure to ensure their Abuse Policy and Procedure was implemented for reporting an allegation of misappropriation of property to the Office of Long Term Care and other officials [as required by] state laws. It was also noted that the facility had "failed to conduct a thorough investigation to protect residents from further misappropriation of property."
If you believe your loved one was mistreated, neglected or abused as a resident at Crestpark Helena Nursing Home, call the Arkansas nursing home abuse attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 today. Our network of attorneys fights aggressively on behalf of Phillips County victims of mistreatment living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Helena. Let our skilled attorneys file and handle your nursing home abuse compensation claim against all those who caused your loved one harm. Our years of experience ensure a successful resolution. 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.
Our attorneys accept all personal injury claims, nursing home abuse suits, medical malpractice cases, and wrongful death lawsuits through a contingency fee agreement. This arrangement postpones the need to pay for our legal services until after our legal team has resolved your claim for compensation through a jury trial award or negotiated settlement out of court. We provide each client a "No Win/No-Fee" Guarantee, meaning you owe us nothing if we cannot obtain compensation for your damages. Let us begin working on your case today to ensure your family is adequately compensated for the losses that caused your harm. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
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