Many families are overwhelmed when they make the ultimate decision to place a loved one in a nursing home to ensure the quality of their life is maximized. They believe that they will receive the best care in a compassionate, respected, and safe environment. Unfortunately, not all members of the nursing team will uphold their responsibility and provide care that meets the resident’s needs.
If your loved one was injured while living in a Hillsborough County nursing facility, contact the Florida nursing home affiliate attorneys now for immediate legal help. Our team of abuse prevention lawyers can work on your family’s behalf to ensure you receive monetary compensation for your damages. Let us begin working on your case today.
This long-term care center is a "for-profit" 120-certified bed home providing cares to residents of Tampa and Hillsborough County, Florida. The Medicare and Medicaid-participating facility is located at:
518 W Fletcher Ave
Tampa, Florida 33612
(813) 265-1600
Fletcher Health And Rehabilitation Facility
In addition to providing around the clock skilled nursing care, Fletcher Health and Rehabilitation Facility offers other services. Additional focused care includes short-term and long term care.
The facility also provides comprehensive rehab services, wound care, pulmonary care, IV (intervenous) care, post-stroke care, enteral nutrition, pain management, hospice, oncology care, dementia and memory care, and physical, occupational, and speech therapies.
Fined $188,268 for substandard care
The state and federal investigators have the legal authority to penalize any nursing home that has been cited for a serious violation that harmed or could have harmed a nursing home resident. Typically, these penalties include imposed monetary fines and denial of payment for Medicare services.
Within the last three years, federal investigators imposed a monetary fine against Fletcher Health and Rehabilitation Facility for $188,268 on May 03, 2017, citing substandard care. During this time, Medicare denied payment on May 03, 2017, due to a lack of quality care.
The nursing home received twelve complaints over the last three years that resulted in a violation citation. Additional information concerning the facility can be reviewed on the comprehensive Florida Adult Protective Services Website.
Call (800) 926-7565 Toll-Free for a No Obligation Consultation
To be fully informed on the level of care nursing homes provide, families routinely research Medicare.gov and the Florida Department of Public Health website database systems for a complete list of deficiencies, violations, and citations.
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 five out of five stars for quality measures.
The state investigators determined that the nursing home “failed to ensure scissors used during wound care were cleaned [before] and during the dressing change procedure for [one resident].”
The state investigative team reviewed a resident’s clinical record that identified a coccyx wound measuring 2.5 cm a 1.5 cm x 0.5 cm on January 21, 2019. By March 4, 2019, the coccyx pressure ulcer had increased in size to 3.0 cm x 1.5 cm x 0.5 cm. On March 19, 2019, the stage IV coccyx wound remained nearly the same at 3.0 cm x 1.4 cm x 0.5 cm.
The Order Summary Report from March 22, 2019, guided the staff on how to provide skincare to the resident to ensure improvement of the coccyx life-threatening wound. Earlier in December 2018, documentation shows that the resident “had potential and actual impairment to skin integrity of the coccyx and remained at risk for further breakdown related to decreased mobility, refusal to get out of bed, and incontinence.”
The investigative team observed a Registered Nurse (RN) providing wound care to the resident and used a “pair of pink-handled scissors in her back pants pocket.” The nurse failed to follow established protocols to eliminate the spread of infection.
The Registered Nurse stated that the resident’s wound “had been present upon admission, which was at least five years ago.” The nurse “retrieved the pink-handled scissors from her back pants pocket, opened the bottle of [medication], and cut a long piece of packing strip, which was placed on a barrier.”
The nurse, while ungloved, “placed scissors on the sink basin and washed her hands” before placing the scissors in her back pants pocket. The nurse confirmed that “the scissors should have been cleaned after removing them from her pocket and before cutting the packing strip.”
Has your loved one been being mistreated or neglected while living at Fletcher Health and Rehabilitation Facility? Contact the Florida nursing home abuse prevention lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for immediate legal intervention. We represent Hillsborough County victims of abuse and neglect in all areas, including Tampa.
We provide every potential client a free initial case consultation and offer a 100% “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee. This promise means you will not pay us anything until after we have secured a monetary recovery on your behalf. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Sources:
Attorney Blair N. Mendes, Esq.
Licensed in Florida
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Attorney Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home