Information & Ratings on Laverna Village of St. Joseph (Violations)

Nursing home care must be provided to your loved one in a safe and sanitary manner. The facility where they reside has a duty to ensure that they take all possible measures to keep your family member from getting hurt or even contracting an infection while under their care. When your loved one suffers while in the care of a skilled nursing facility, it is a wrenching experience for the entire family, who must watch as deficient care negatively impacts the last years of a family member's life. When this happens, you should strongly consider hiring an attorney. Certain care deficiencies can entitle you and your family to financial compensation.

The Laverna Village of St. Joseph is a medium-sized facility with 110 certified beds. It participates in both the Medicare and Medicaid programs. It provides long-stay services to residents of Saint Joseph, MO and the Northwestern Missouri area. It has for-profit ownership, and it is located at:

1317 N 36th St 
St Joseph, MO 64506
(816) 676-1630
URL: Laverna Village of St. Joseph

The federal government makes annual inspections of nursing homes pursuant to its role as the overseer of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The visits are carried out by a trained inspector who gives close scrutiny to each element of a nursing home's care. The findings are then made public in an inspection report that is published on Medicare's website.

Each state has a mechanism where a resident can file a complaint against a home or someone can complain on their behalf. That complaint is investigated by the state and any health citation that is issued to the facility is counted in the nursing home's overall ratings. The Laverna Village of St. Joseph had 17 such complaints that resulted in a health citation against the facility. 

In May 2017, the Laverna Village of St. Joseph received a Notice of Noncompliance from the State of Missouri. The notice found several different violations that led to unsanitary conditions at the facility. Three separate residents failed to receive showers or baths in accordance with their preferences. Nursing home residents must receive a certain minimum number of baths each week, but have the ability to receive more if they choose. In addition, the facility did not provide proper catheter care to two residents and did not wash hands or change gloves in between dirty tasks for one resident. 

The average amount of health citations in a facility's inspection report is usually between six and seven, depending on the time period. The Laverna Village of St. Joseph has far exceeded that number on every inspection report dating back to 2016. In fact, the facility has averaged nearly 16 health citations on each inspection report. 

The most recent inspection report contained 14 violations. There were several findings of the facility providing inadequate care to both prevent and treat pressure ulcers. These are painful conditions that are otherwise known as bedsores. In many instances, they are preventable with the proper care. For certain residents, the home was found to have lacked a proper care plan to prevent pressure ulcers. For one particular resident, the home failed to report a noticeable change in the resident's skin condition to a physician. 

Even after the home was cited by the State of Missouri for a lack of sanitation measures, the infection prevention and control program continues to be an issue. There were still multiple instances that were observed after the May 2017 letter in which staff either did not change gloves or did not appropriately wash hands after cleaning residents of urine or fecal matter. Staff touched the residents while wearing soiled gloves. In addition, the 2017 inspection report also included multiple instances of unsanitary care, including the staff not changing their gloves after a resident urinated on them. 

The 2017 inspection report included a health citation for a serious medication error. While even one error is too many, nursing homes can have up to a five percent rate of error and avoid citation. However, serious errors will merit a citation no matter the rate of error. One patient was supposed to receive a certain amount of medication through an IV pump. The staff disconnected the IV pump, believing that the medication was administered. However, the patient did not receive all of the medication when the pump was disconnected. The nurse did not properly check the bag to make sure that the resident received the entire amount of the medication. 

When you need an aggressive and competent lawyer on your side to fight for compensation for harm your loved one has suffered, contact the attorneys at the Nursing Home Law Center. We have much experience in holding nursing homes accountable for instances of neglect and serious deficiencies in care that have harmed seniors. Call us today at (800) 726-9565 and tell us the facts of your particular case. At the conclusion of the completely free consultation, we can tell you whether we think you have a colorable legal action and the process that will need to be followed to file a case. 

Sources:

• May 15, 2017
• Inspection Report
• Inspection Report