Many of the issues associated with neglect and abuse in nursing facilities, rehab centers, and assistant nursing homes typically occur because of a lack of trained personnel, minimal supervision or insufficient staffing. When these incidents occur, the needs and requirements of a resident are often ignored, or they suffer a head injury or broken bone in a fall or develop life-threatening bedsores from neglect. Without adequate supervision, some residents will wander away from the facility and placed in harm's way that could result in a preventable injury or death.
Our nursing home abuse network of attorneys in Arkansas represent families whose loved one is the victim of neglect or abuse at the hands of caregivers, employees, friends or other residents. If your loved one was harmed, call us today so we can begin working on your case for financial compensation now.
This long-term care (LTC) facility is a 78-certified bed "not-for-profit" home providing services and cares to residents of Marshall and Searcy County, Arkansas. The Medicare/Medicaid-participating center is located at:
942 North Highway 65
Marshall, Arkansas, 72650
(870) 448-3577
In addition to providing around-the-clock long-term skilled nursing care, the facility also offers short-term rehabilitation.
Both the federal government and the state of Arkansas have the legal responsibility to levy monetary fines or deny payments through Medicare if a nursing home has violated established rules and regulations that harmed or could have harmed residents. Within the last three years, Highland Court Health and Rehabilitation Center has not been fined by the federal government agencies. Additional documentation about fines and penalties can be found on the Arkansas Adult Protective Services website concerning this nursing facility.
Families can review comprehensive research results on the Medicare.gov and Arkansas Department of Public Health nursing home database systems that detail safety concerns, opened investigations, incident inquiries, health violations, dangerous hazards, and filed complaints. The information is valuable to determine the level of health, medical and hygiene care that long-term care facilities in the local community provide their residents.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of one out of five stars, including two out of five stars involving health inspections, three out of five stars for staffing issues and one out of five stars for quality measures. The Searcy County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have found serious deficiencies and safety concerns at Highland Court Health and Rehabilitation Center that include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated August 17, 2018, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to "ensure treatment orders for a urinary tract infection were promptly obtained and initiated, by failing to ensure urine culture results indicative of UTI were promptly communicated to the physician." The deficient practice by the nursing staff "resulted in a delay in treatment for [a resident]." The investigators also documented that "this failed practice has the potential to affect ten residents who were diagnosed with [urinary tract infections]."
A review of a resident's urine culture report showed that the resident suffered greater than 100,000 colony-forming units of E. coli. However, "there was no documentation that these results were reported to the" resident's doctor until approximately 24 hours after the results were received. "The Physician-order treatment was initiated on the evening of August 12, 2018, twenty-four hours" after the facility received the culture results.
The investigator interviewed the facility Director of Nursing on the morning of August 15, 2018, and asked: "when were the results received from the lab for the urine culture?" The Director replied, "I checked the laboratory service provider on Friday, August 10, 2018, in the morning, and it shows that the culture results were not completed. The computer pops up an alert when the results are complete, and the results had not been completed."
The surveyor asked the Director "did you check it again before you left that day?" The Director replied, "No, I must not have." The Director stated that the other Registered Nurses in the facility check on laboratory results when the Director is not in the building.
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 5, 2017, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to "ensure necessary care and services were provided for indwelling urinary catheter maintenance, as evidenced by the failure of the staff to maintain an indwelling catheter drainage bag below the level of the bladder to facilitate urinary drainage and prevent urinary tract infections." The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved one "case mix resident who had an indwelling urinary catheter. The failed practice had the potential to affect two residents who had urinary catheters."
The survey team observed a resident being transferred "from the bed to wheelchair using a Hoyer lift." A Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) "placed the urinary catheter bag on the upper part of the Hoyer pad while connecting the pad to the hooks, raising the catheter bag to the level of the resident's upper arms. In the process of raising the patient out of bed with the lift, the urinary catheter bag was elevated to a level of the resident's head. Urine was visible in the catheter tubing during the transfer."
The state investigator asked the CNA "how high the catheter bag should be lifted?" The CNA replied, "I try to keep it about here (indicating the upper leg area); higher [and] the urine runs back" into the resident's bladder. The surveyor asked, "What about during a transfer using a lift?" The CNA replied, "It should be about the same level. I keep [the bag] hanging from my pants pocket to keep it there."
The investigator interviewed the Assistant Director of Nursing on the morning of May 4, 2017, and asked: "how high a urinary catheter bag should be lifted?" The Assistant Director replied that it "should be no higher than the upper leg area."
When asked about how high the bag should be during a transfer in a Hoyer lift the Assistant Director replied that it "should be about the same, no higher." When asked what would happen if the bag was lifted to the head level area of the resident during a transfer the Assistant Director replied, "that would not be right."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated April 21, 2016, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to "ensure full visual privacy was provided during toileting to prevent potential unnecessary exposure of the residents' body to other residents or visitors."
The deficient practice by the nursing staff affected two residents "who required assistance from staff for toileting and privacy was provided during medication administration to maintain the confidentiality of medical care." The investigators documented that "this failed practice has the potential to affect twenty-nine residents who required assistance with toileting, nineteen residents who required insulin injections, and twenty-nine residents who received ophthalmic [eye] medications."
The state investigator reviewed one resident's Plan of Care dated November 17, 2016, through November 16, 2017, that shows that the resident is "at risk for loss of Activities of Daily Living due to weakness and poor balance related to dementia [and other medical conditions]." The plan of care says "toilet her every two hours and provide incontinent care. She needs extensive assistance with peri-care [because] she is frequently incontinent and does not clean [her]self well."
The documentation also showed that the resident "has a history of behavior and [is at] risk of mood changes related to [their diagnoses]." The staff is to "be aware of some of the resident's refusal of care that may be related to a sense of loss of dignity. Protect her dignity." The resident "is admitted to the hospice services for the end of life secondary to end-stage [renal disease, so] preserve dignity by protecting privacy."
The state investigators observed a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) on the morning of April 19, 2016, while assisting the resident "to the bathroom, without closing the door to the bathroom or the resident's room. The resident was on the commode with her pants down around her ankles. The Certified Nursing Assistant "gave the resident the call light and asked her if she would call her when finished. The resident stated, 'Yes.' The CNA left the bathroom, but did not close the bathroom door or room door upon exiting."
Three minutes later, "the resident pulled the call light cord." The CNA "returned, assisted the resident in a standing position and provided peri-care, without closing the doors to the resident's room and bathroom."
The investigator then interviewed the Director of Nursing about the standards of practice and expectation "regarding the residents on the commode and the doors to the resident's room to the bathroom." The Director replied, "I expect them to be shut for privacy." The investigator asked, "if a resident was on a commode with both the outside room and door to the bathroom ajar, would that be an acceptable practice?" The Director replied, "No."
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated April 21, 2016, a state investigator noted the nursing home's failure to "ensure infection control measures were consistently implemented to reduce the potential for the spread of infection in the facility." The investigators saw evidence of the failure "to ensure staff changed soiled gloves and washed hands between dirty and clean tasks during and after incontinent care." It was noted that "a contaminated peri-wash bottle was disinfected between residents to prevent cross-contamination and potential infection."
The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved two residents "who required assistance with incontinent care. The failed practice had the potential to affect twenty-two residents who required assistance with incontinence care."
The survey team also documented the facility's failure "to ensure staffs' hair was contained during incontinent care and while assisting with meals to prevent potential cross-contamination" involving residents "who required assistance with incontinent care. The failed practice has the potential to affect twelve residents who required assistance with eating and twenty-two residents who required assistance with incontinent care."
The nursing home also failed to "ensure multi-resident-use glucometers were disinfected between use on different residents to prevent the potential spread for infection." This deficient practice involved one resident "who received blood glucose monitoring with the glucometer. This failed practice had the potential to affect nineteen residents who received blood sugar checks."
The nursing home also failed to "ensure staff washed hands between providing nail care and administering eye drops and a failure to ensure a tissue was provided for each eye during the installation of eye drops to prevent potential eye infection."
The investigators also documented the facility's failure "to ensure a bedside commode bucket and splashguard were thoroughly cleaned before being stored to prevent the potential spread of infection." This failed practice "has the potential to affect two residents who used a bed commode."
If you have suspicions that your loved one was injured or harmed while living at Highland Court Health and Rehabilitation Center, contact the Arkansas nursing home abuse lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for help. Our network of attorneys fights aggressively on behalf of Searcy County victims of mistreatment living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Marshall. 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 obtain monetary recovery. Let us fight aggressively on your behalf to ensure your rights are protected.
We accept every case concerning wrongful death, nursing home abuse, and personal injury through a contingency fee agreement. This arrangement postpones the requirement to make a payment to our network of attorneys until after we have successfully resolved your claim for compensation through a negotiated out of court settlement or jury trial award. We offer every client a "No Win/No-Fee" Guarantee. This promise ensures that you will owe us nothing if we cannot obtain compensation on your behalf. Let our attorneys begin working on your behalf today to ensure your family receives adequate compensation from those who caused your harm. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Marshall Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home