Are you concerned that caregivers providing your loved one services in a nursing facility do not meet professional standards of quality? Has your loved one become the victim of mistreatment, neglect or abuse at the hands of the caregivers, employees, visitors or other residents? If so, the nursing home might be in violation of federal and state statutes that require them to comply with established protocols. The Arkansas Nursing Home Law Center attorneys have represented many victims and families in Pulaski County who suffered harm by those who are entrusted to provide them care. Let our legal network assist your family in obtaining monetary compensation to recover your damages and take action that seeks justice to hold those responsible for harm your loved one financially and legally accountable.
This long-term care (LTC) home is a "for-profit" 120-certified bed center providing cares and services to residents of Little Rock and Pulaski County, Arkansas. The Medicare/Medicaid-particitpating facility is located at:
#3 Chenal Heights Drive
Little Rock, Arkansas, 72223
(501) 830-2273
In addition to providing skilled nursing care, the facility also offers respite care, long-term care, and short-term rehabilitation services.
The state of Arkansas and the federal government have the legal obligation to monitor every nursing facility and impose monetary fines or deny payments through Medicare if the facility has violated established nursing home regulations and rules. In serious cases, the nursing facility will receive multiple penalties if investigators find the violations are severe and harmed or could have harmed a resident. Over the last three years, investigators have not fined Hickory Heights Health and Rehabilitation Center. However, the nursing home has received twelve formally filed complaints due to substandard care. Additional documentation about fines and penalties can be found on the Arkansas Adult Protective Services website concerning this nursing facility.
To be fully informed on the level of care nursing homes provide, families routinely research the Arkansas Department of Public Health and Medicare.gov database systems for a complete list of incident inquiries, opened investigations, filed complaints, dangerous hazards, health violations, and safety concerns. This information provides valuable content to make a well-informed decision of where to place a loved one who requires the highest level of hygiene assistance and health care assistance.
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 one out of five stars for quality measures. The Pulaski County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have found serious deficiencies and safety concerns at Hickory Heights Health and Rehabilitation Center that include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated January 13, 2017, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to "ensure necessary care and services were provided for management of an indwelling urinary catheter, as evidenced by the failure to ensure the catheter tubing was secured to prevent potential trauma to the urinary meatus [the passage that leads into the interior of the body."
The state investigator reviewed the resident's Plan of Care dated January 15, 2017 that shows that the resident "is at risk for urinary tract infection due to indwelling catheter. The Plan of Care did not document the use of a leg strap or any other means to secure the catheter tubing to prevent the possible injury to the urinary meatus."
The state survey team observed a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) on the morning of January 10, 2017 who was providing incontinent care to the resident who "was incontinent of bowel. The resident's indwelling urinary catheter was not secured. There was no catheter strap, or any other device used to secure the catheter tubing to the resident's leg to prevent injury to the resident. The catheter drainage bag was on the left side of the bed. When the CNA turned the resident to the right side there was a slight tension to the catheter tubing." The investigator reviewed the facility's policy and procedure titled: Catheter, External (urinary) that documents "use a leg strap to secure."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated January 13, 2017, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to "ensure skin breakdown was properly reported to the licensed nursing staff to allow for prompt assessment and initiation of treatment to promote healing." The state surveyor documented that the nursing facility "failed to ensure heels were off-loaded to prevent potential development of pressure ulcers" for one resident who "was at risk for developing pressure ulcers."
The survey team said that "these failed practices had the potential to affect six residents were risk for developing pressure ulcers as documented on the list provided by the Director of Nursing on January 13, 2017."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated January 13, 2017, the state surveyor documented that the facility had failed to "ensure specific targeted behaviors for antipsychotic administration were identified, monitored, documented and evaluated for causative factors [to] determine if the antipsychotic medication was ineffective." The steps would help to "determine if it remains medically necessary after treatment." The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved a resident "who had physician-ordered antipsychotic medications. The deficient practice had the potential to affect twenty-three residents who had physician orders" for medication treatment.
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated January 13, 2017, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to "ensure contaminated nasal cannula was cleaned and replaced before being used to administer oxygen therapy to prevent potential respiratory infection and other complications." The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved one resident "who received oxygen therapy. The facility failed to ensure staff avoided cross-contamination of a bag of clean incontinent wipes during incontinent bowel care to prevent the potential spread of infection."
The state survey team also documented that the facility had "failed to ensure the Infection Control Log consistently documented the causative organism and whether or not a culture had been completed for two of three months reviewed, to allow accurate tracking and trending of infections in the facility." The investigator stated that "the failed practices had the potential to affect twenty-six residents who received oxygen therapy."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated April 27, 2018, the state investigator noted that the facility's failure to "ensure an allegation of verbal and physical abuse was immediately reported to the Administrator or designees, which resulted in a delay in implementing protective measures to prevent further potential abuse." The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved one "case mix resident who lived on the 100 Hall and had behaviors." This failure practice had the potential to affect eight residents who resided on the 100 Hall and had behaviors."
The survey team reviewed the facility Investigation Report for Resident Abuse, Neglect, Misappropriation of Property, and Exploitation of Residents in Long-Term Care Facilities. The report indicated that the "incident occurred on April 10, 2018, at approximately 3:00 PM.
A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) reported the incident alleging that another CNA "had been caring for the resident when the resident was yelling out, so [the allegedly abusive CNA] put a towel in the resident's amount to make her be quiet." The reporting CNA "immediately went to the 100 Hall and got [the allegedly abusive CNA] and asked her to sit in the front lobby until the Administrator arrived in stated in the front lobby with [the allegedly abusive CNA] until the Administrator arrived."
Once the Administrator arrived at the scene, the allegedly abusive CNA "was informed of the allegation and in [the allegedly abusive CNA's] written statements said that yesterday while [they and another CNA] were transferring [the resident] to bed, to change her brief, [the allegedly abusive CNA] noticed food on her [the resident], so she gave the resident a towel to wipe her mouth and she bit it with her teeth and would not let go." The allegedly abusive CNA "was immediately suspended." The resident "was immediately assessed by the Director of Nursing for injury with no negative findings. A full investigation was initiated and is ongoing at this time."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated December 29, 2017, a state investigator noted the nursing home's failure to "ensure fecal material was cleansed from the front to back direction to minimize the potential for infection." The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved one resident "who required assistance from staff for incontinent care. This failed practice has the potential to affect 71 [of 105] residents who were dependent on staff for incontinent care."
The investigative team observed two Certified Nursing Assistant (CNAs) "providing incontinent care after the resident was incontinent of bowel." One Certified Nursing Assistant "wiped from the top of the buttocks down toward the scrotum using paper towels." A Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) providing the resident care informed the Certified Nursing Assistant "that she would go get some wipes." A second Certified Nursing Assistant "left the room to get wipes [while the first CNA] continued to wipe the feces from the resident [and] touched the resident's blanket and cleaned the brief after wiping feces from the resident's buttocks area." The treating CNA "wiped between the buttocks, toward the perineal area four times using the same side of the wipe."
The state investigator asked the Director of Nursing during an interview "when wiping feces from the buttocks, which direction should you wipe?" The Director responded "from front to back" and said to use the wipe only once "unless you fold" it. The Director was asked "what would happen if you wiped feces from the back to the front?" The Director replied "contaminate it and get infection."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 11, 2016, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to "ensure necessary treatment and services were provided to promote healing and prevent the potential infection of non-pressure-related wounds." The state survey team said that two complaints "were substantiated (all or in part) in these findings."
It was documented that the nursing home had failed to "ensure a prompt evaluation of moisture associated skin damage (MASD) [that should have been] documented to determine the appropriate treatment and supported devices necessary to promote healing." The Nursing Home also failed to "ensure wound assessments were conducted and documented at least weekly to facilitate prompt identification of any deterioration or delayed healing for [a resident] with MASD."
In a separate incident, the investigative team documented that the facility had "failed to ensure necessary treatment and services were provided to promote healing, prevent infection and prevent the development of new pressure sores." These deficiencies were evidenced by a failure "to ensure residents were repositioned every two hours [according to] their plan of care to prevent possible skin breakdown."
The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved two residents "who had pressure ulcers of the sacrum/coccyx." It was also documented that the facility had failed to "ensure loose or missing pressure ulcer dressings were replaced immediately to prevent potential infection." This deficient practice involved a resident "who had pressure ulcers of the sacrum/coccyx and was incontinent."
It was also noted that the nursing home failed to "ensure pressure relief devices for the heels were applied properly to avoid causing increase pressure which could result in the skin breakdown" for [a resident] who had pressure ulcers on the heels."
The Nursing Home also failed to "ensure licensed nurses followed clean techniques and nursing standards of practice during wound treatments, to prevent potential infection or deterioration of the wounds for [a resident] who had physician-ordered wound care for pressure ulcers." The nursing staff also failed to "ensure interventions were developed, added to the care plan and consistently implemented to offload the resident's heels and relief pressure ulcer to prevent potential deterioration of an existing area of skin breakdown." The failed practices "had the potential to affect:
If your loved one was the victim of abuse, mistreatment or neglect while a resident at Hickory Heights Health and Rehabilitation Center, contact the Arkansas nursing home abuse attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 now. Our network of attorneys fights on behalf of Pulaski County victims of mistreatment living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Little Rock. Our reputable attorneys working on your behalf can successfully resolve your nursing home abuse victim case against the facility and staff members that caused your loved one harm. Contact us now to schedule a free case review to discuss how to obtain justice and resolve a monetary compensation claim. Let us fight aggressively on your behalf to ensure your rights are protected.
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