Many families have no other choice than to place the care of their loved one in a nursing facility by medical professionals who are trained to provide services in a safe environment. Unfortunately, many nursing facilities are understaffed or lack sufficient staff members to ensure that every resident receives the care they require. The South Carolina nursing home abuse lawyers at (800) 926-7565 have secured millions for our clients who were victims of nursing home abuse, mistreatment or neglect. Our compassionate network of attorneys understands the headache families are going through when realizing their loved one has suffered trauma at the hands of those who were responsible for providing them care.
This Nursing Facility is a community-based 104-certified bed corporate 'for profit' Home providing services and cares to residents of Florence and Florence County, South Carolina. The Medicaid/Medicare-accepted Center is located at:
6617 W. Marion St.
Florence, SC 29501
843-669-9958
The state of South Carolina and the federal government have a legal responsibility of 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. Over the last 36 months, investigators have fined Faith Healthcare Center three times including a $13,390 fine on September 4, 2015, a $7335 fine on June 14, 2017, and a separate fine of $25,009 on June 14, 2017. Additional information about penalties and fines can be found on the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control website concerning Faith Healthcare Center.
Detailed information on each nursing facility in America can be obtained on state and federal database sites including Medicare.gov. These government-run regulatory agencies routinely update their list of dangerous hazards, health violations, safety concerns, incident inquiries, opened investigations, and filed complaints on nursing homes nationwide. Many families use this valuable information as a useful tool to determine where to place a loved one who requires the highest level of hygiene assistance and skilled nursing care.
Currently, Faith Healthcare Center maintains an overall one out of five available star rating in the Medicare national comparison analysis rating system. This rating includes one of five stars for health inspection problems, three of five stars for staffing issues and four of five stars for quality measures. The Florence County nursing home neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have found deficiencies and safety concerns at this facility that include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated June 14, 2017, the state investigator documented the facility's failure "to provide needed services to [one resident] reviewed for a change in condition." The deficient practice involved a resident who "had a change in condition that required respiratory assessment and treatment which the resident did not receive. Also, based on observation, record review and interview, the facility failed to ensure all residents with concerns with positioning for safe meal intake to avoid choking were given adequate assistance in setting up at mealtime."
The state investigator made observations during the survey where three of the eighteen residents at the facility were "noted to have position concerns were found to be improperly positioned in bed to feed themselves effectively and safely." It was revealed that a Certified Nursing Assistant providing the resident care "had just been in-serviced on how to provide assistance to residents with positioning for meal intake to ensure safety."
The investigator reviewed the facility's Nurse's Notes on a resident who was "total care for all Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)." The resident "was in a persistent vegetative state." On the day in question at 9:30 AM, the resident was observed "lying in bed with eyes open, with breaths making a gurgling sound. Respiration even/labored. Will continue monitoring." However, at 10:20 AM on the same day, the Certified Nursing Assistant called another staff member to the room to find the resident "lying in bed with the head of the bed elevated" and was noted to have "secretions coming out of the mouth. No respirations noted. Code blue called, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was initiated." The nursing staff found the resident with a "no pulse, 911 called." At 10:30 AM, the emergency medical services arrived and took over cardiopulmonary resuscitation from the nursing staff and transported the resident to the hospital.
During an interview with the Registered Nurse, it was noted that the nurse found the resident "gurgling during a medical pass." The RN said "I went and found the suction machine, but it did not work. I never got a suction machine to work. The RN stated that [they] had removed the suction machine from the crash cart. I think there are three crash cards. It was about 9:00 AM. I cannot remember exactly. I never had to suction [the resident] before."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated June 14, 2017, the state investigator documented that the facility had failed to "obtain a statement from the alleged perpetrator of [one resident] reviewed for neglect." The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved a resident who "did not receive the required care for respiratory difficulty." The state's investigator said that the facility "did not have a written statement from the nurse who allegedly neglected the resident. The facility had written statements of the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) who witnessed the incident. There was no payment from the nurse."
The investigator reviewed the facility's Policy and Procedures on Abuse/Neglect that read in part:
"Written summaries of interviews with individuals having first-hand knowledge of the incident. NOTE: Employees/witnesses are not to write out statements. Employees/witnesses will be interviewed by designated facility staff, and the interviewer will record all witness accounts in a document written, dated and signed by the interviewer."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated December 1, 2016, the state investigator documented the facility's failure "to conduct an accurate assessment for [one resident] reviewed for assessments." The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved a resident "with severe contractures [who] was assessed and did not receive any restorative services." A review of the resident's Minimum Data Set revealed the resident was "coded… to be in a persistent vegetative state." The resident "was coated to have a limited range of motion in all extremities. The MDS coded the resident as did not receive any therapy or restorative services.
However, the investigator reviewed the resident's Care Plan that revealed "the resident was Care Planned and required total care with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) related to Persistent Agitated State. Contractures, limited range of motion, with an approach of restorative is available." The investigator observed the resident on November 30, 2016, at 1:45 PM. The resident was "dressed, sitting up in the reclining Geri chair in the hallway in front of the nurse's station. [The resident's eyes were open]. No response to verbal stimuli. Well-groomed, no odors. Contractures noted of all extremities."
The investigator documented that the resident's "Minimum Data Set did not depict the resident receiving restorative nursing for range of motion." The investigator interviewed the Minimum Data Set Nurse on December 1, 2016, who stated "we do not know if the resident is receiving restorative nursing. We do not have access to the restorative notes. Our old Director of Nursing (DON) would have the restorative documentation for us, but not now. The nurse confirmed the resident should have been coded to have received restorative Passive Range of Motion [care]."
The surveyor conducted a review of the facility's Summary of the Investigation. The summary stated that when the RN "entered the room, the resident was unresponsive and [they] immediately reported to the nurse's station call a code." However, the RN "did not check vitals or pulse." The RN stated that when they had gone into the room at 9:00 AM, the resident "sounded gurgling but respirations were even and unlabored." However, the RN said that there "was no suction machine in the room at the time. The nurse asked why [they] did not suction in a timely manner and [they] stated that [they] could not find a suction machine on the crash carts. Other staff members were interviewed, and it was determined that there were suction machines on each crash cart. The crash cards were located at each nurse's station."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 19, 2016, the state investigator documented the facility's failure "to maintain an infection control program designed to provide a safe, sanitary and comfortable environment to help prevent the development and transmission of disease and infections." The deficient practice by the employees at Faith Healthcare Center could place all residents at risk. The investigator documented that "soiled linen was shaken from plastic bags in the soil utility room by the laundry staff before transporting it to the Laundry Department."
An observation was made on May 19, 2016, at approximately 9:20 AM while the laundry was being picked up "from the soil utility rooms on the units… [The observation revealed] the laundry staff opening that contents of plastic bags and soiled linen and shaking the contents into soil carts for transport to the Laundry Department. The transport cart was parked in the doorway of the soil utility room due to the fact that the room was so small the cart would not fit in the room."
The investigator interviewed the laundry staff member at that time who stated "this is how I do it. I leave the plastic bags here in the trash instead of putting them in the trash in the Laundry Department." The Housekeeping Supervisor was interviewed 20 minutes later and stated "this is not the proper way to transport soiled linen and clothes back to the Laundry Department. You should never remove the soiled linen and clothes from the plastic bags in the soil utility rooms." The investigator reviewed the facility policy titled: Maintenance/Housekeeping Policies and Procedures that stated:
"Soiled linen: Although soiled linen has not been implicated in disease transmission, it is acceptable standards of practice to handle soiled linen in a way that reduces environmental contamination. Soiled linens are handled minimally. Do not shake or agitated soiled laundry."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated December 1, 2016, the state investigator documented the facility's failure to "appropriately transfer [one resident] with a fall." The resident "had a fall from a lift." The surveyor's findings included a review of the resident's care plan that revealed the resident "was Care Planned for falls, the risk for falls, related to history." A review of October 12, 2016, through October 20, 2016 Nurse's Notes revealed that "the resident went out to renal dialysis three times a week." Other notes show that "the resident was alert and verbally responsive with clear speech. She required extensive assistance with ADLs [Activities of Daily Living] of grooming, bathing, dressing with one assist."
The resident's Nurse's Notes dated October 25, 2016, revealed that the resident "had wiggled out of the sling during a transfer from the shower to the resident's bed. Upon entering the room, the resident was noted to be on the floor beside the bed. The resident's body was positioned with the head toward the foot of the bed and the right side against the bed with the body resting on the bed rails." The resident denied having any pain or discomfort," and neurological checks showed no neuro deficits. The doctor was made aware of the event approximately four hours later but offered no new orders except to continue to monitor. The Responsible Party was notified that evening at 6:40 PM.
The investigation determined that "the wrong sling was used for transfers as the resident's legs were contracted. The full body sling should have been used for the transfer instead." The investigator interviewed the facility Director of Nursing over the incident who stated that they "got the report about the fall the next day, at the morning meeting." The Director stated that they "were not able to get a definite answer as to how the resident fell off the lift."
Nursing Home Law Center attorneys provide legal advice and representation to South Carolina nursing home residents who have suffered abuse, mistreatment, and neglect at long-term care facilities like Faith Healthcare Center. If your loved one was injured or died unexpectedly from neglect while living in a nursing facility in Florence County, you have legal rights to ensure justice. We invite you to contact the Florence nursing home abuse lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center (800) 926-7565 today to schedule a free, no-obligation case review to discuss a financial compensation lawsuit. Let our team of attorneys begin working on your case today to ensure your family is adequately compensated for your damages.
Our legal team accepts every compensation claim or lawsuit through contingency fee agreements. This arrangement postpones paying our legal services until after our attorneys have successfully resolved your case at trial or through a negotiated settlement. Our network of attorneys offers every client a "No Win/No-Fee" Guarantee, ensuring you will owe us nothing if we cannot obtain compensation on your behalf. Let us begin working on your case today to ensure all the necessary documentation is filed in the proper county courthouse before the South Carolina statute of limitations expires. All information you share with our law office will remain confidential.
Attorney Nathan Hughey
Licensed in South Carolina
Florence Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home