Mistreatment, neglect, and abuse are often the results of the increasing need for additional nursing home beds or a lack of competent nursing staff at facilities throughout the state. In many incidents, the family remains unaware that a serious problem exists until their loved one is severely injured, harmed or has died unexpectedly.
If caregivers or other residents injured your loved one while living in a Lewis County nursing facility, the Tennessee Nursing Home Law Center attorneys can provide immediate legal intervention. Contact us today so we can discuss how our team of Tennessee lawyers can assist you in receiving financial compensation and seeking justice. We have expertise in resolving monetary recovery claims just like yours.
This long-term care (LTC) home is a "for profit" 131-certified bed center providing cares and services to residents of Hohenwald and Lewis County, Tennessee. The Medicare/Medicaid-participating facility is located at:
119 Kittrell St.
Hohenwald, Tennessee 38462
(931) 796-3233
In addition to providing 24/7 skilled nursing care and rehabilitative services, Lewis County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center also offers hospice care, psychiatric care, and home health options.
The state of Tennessee and the federal government have a legal responsibility of monitoring every nursing home statewide. 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.
Within the last three years, Lewis County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has not been fined, but has received one formally filed complaints and self-reported three serious issues that resulted in citations. Additional information concerning fines and penalties can be found on the Tennessee Department of Health Nursing Home Reporting Website about this nursing home.
Detailed information on each long-term care facility in the state can be obtained on government-run websites including the Tennessee Department of Public Health and Medicare.gov. These regulatory agencies routinely update their list of filed complaints, opened investigations, safety concerns, incident inquiries, health violations, and dangerous hazards on nursing homes statewide.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of one out of five stars, including two out of five stars concerning health inspections, two out of five stars for staffing issues and one out of five stars for quality measures. The Lewis County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have found serious deficiencies and safety concerns at Lewis County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center that include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated February 8, 2018, the state survey team documented that the facility had failed to “ensure staff followed the Abuse Policy when one of four residents reviewed for abuse made abuse allegations that were not reported to the State agency.” The investigators reviewed the facility’s policy titled: Abuse dated November 27, 2016, that reads in part:
“Each resident has the right to be free from abuse. When reports of abuse occur, an investigation is immediately warranted. In response allegations of abuse, the facility must ensure that all alleged violations involving abuse or mistreatment are reported immediately, but not later than two hours after the allegation is made to the Administrator at the facility and other officials (including the State Survey Agency [according to] State law.”
“The Administrator should follow up with government agencies, during business hours, to confirm the report was received, and to report the results of the investigation when final, as required by state agencies.”
The investigators interviewed the resident in the resident’s room and asked: “if anyone has ever abused her at the facility?” The resident responded, “Yes, he hit me on the arm.” The resident “confirmed the man that hit her on the arm was an employee of the facility, and she reported to the facility staff.”
The surveyors reviewed the Facility’s Investigation Report that revealed that the resident “had reported an allegation of physical abuse on November 15, 2017.” A review of “the facility’s abuse allegations investigation revealed no documentation [that] the allegation was reported to the State agency.” The investigators interviewed the Administrator on February 8, 2018, and “asked if the abuse allegation was reported to the State agency?” The investigator responded, “No.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated February 8, 2018, the state investigators documented that the nursing home had failed to “ensure a thorough investigation for an allegation of neglect was completed for [one of three] residents reviewed for elopement.” The investigators reviewed the facility’s policy titled: Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation that reads in part:
“Investigation of alleged abuse, neglect, and exploitation. When suspicion of abuse, neglect or exploitation. Components of an investigation may include: Interview all witnesses separately, including roommates, residents in adjoining rooms, staff members in the area, and visitors in the area. Obtain witness statements.”
The investigators reviewed the nurses’ event note dated November for 2017 that shows that the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) “reported to the writer that the patient had a visitor but could not find the patient. The visitor informed the staff that he saw the missing patient walked out the front door. The patient’s visitor stated that the patient used to reside in apartments across the field from the facility.”
A skilled nurse and a Certified Nursing Assistant “went to the apartments. One nurse in a vehicle” began searching. “The patient was found at the apartments.”
The survey team conducted a telephone interview with the Assistant Director of Nursing of February 7, 2018, and asked: “if she knew about the elopement at the facility.” The Assistant Director replied that “she was in the facility helping out that day and she noticed everyone was outside looking for a resident. She was told by [a visitor] that the resident uses to live in some apartments near the facility.”
The “Assistant Director of Nursing stated, ‘I got in my car and went to the apartment complex, and when I drove there I saw her. I got there at the same time [as the visitor]. I asked if I could drive her back and [the visitor] said, we will walk back.”
The Assistant Director said that the visitor and the eloped resident walked back together. The investigators asked the Assistant Director “if the facility had her write a statement about what happened for the investigation. The Assistant Director of Nursing stated, ‘No. I guess I should have.’”
The investigative team interviewed the Administrator who was asked “if she had obtained a statement from [the visitor], the one who had brought [the resident] back to the facility. The Administrator stated ‘No.’”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated January 19, 2017, the state surveyors documented that the facility had failed to “ensure the environment was free from accident hazards as evidenced by unsecured sharps in one of two (400 Hall) shower rooms and in one of sixty-six (Room 510) resident rooms.”
The investigative team observed the 400 Hall common shower room on January 17, 2017 and found a “disposable razor sitting on top of the soap dispenser in the second shower stall, and an open package that contained nine disposable razors sitting on top of the sharps container. The door to the shower room was unlocked.”
Also, during an observation of Room 510, the surveyors found “a pair of bandage scissors on top of the bedside table alongside Bed A. The investigators reviewed the facility’s policy titled: Nursing Grounds that documents: “walking around should be made on a daily basis and more often when problems are present. Things to check in patient living areas: No harmful products present.”
The investigators interviewed the facility Assistant Director of Nursing and asked: “if it was acceptable for razors and scissors to be left unsecured in shower rooms and resident rooms?” The Assistant Director replied, “No.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated January 19, 2017, the investigative team documented the nursing home’s failure to “maintain sufficient numbers of nurses to ensure that the Director of Nursing did not act as a Charge Nurse on two of forteen (January 1, 2016, in January 6, 2016) days of the look-back period.”
A review of the Nursing Home Licensing Checklist documented the Daily Census range between 99 and 104 residents every day. “The Census on the initial day of the facility’s recertification survey dated January 17, 2017, was 98 residents.”
Upon review of the facility’s Daily Posting dated January 1, 2017, through January 6, 2017, there was no documentation that “a Registered Nurse was working on those days.” The investigator interviewed the Administrator who stated “we were having a staffing issue at the time and only had three Registered Nurses on staff and they were (as needed) and had full-time jobs. The Director of Nursing came in on weekends and holidays to handle anything that the Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) could not do.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated January 19, 2017, state surveyors noted the facility’s failure to “follow appropriate practices to prevent the potential spread of infection during medication pass observation, unlabeled denture cup in one of sixty-six resident rooms, and the biohazard shed was unlocked” on January 20, 2017.” The investigators reviewed the facility’s policy titled: Hand Hygiene that reads in part:
“Hand hygiene is the simplest, most effective means of infection control. The term hand hygiene refers to actions intended to decrease the number of contamination microorganisms on the skin. Hand hygiene must be performed at a minimum. Before donning gloves and after removing gloves.”
The investigators observed the 400 Hall “in front of the medication cart on January 19, 2017 beginning at 10:00 AM.” At that time, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) was preparing “medications to be crushed for [a resident when] she applied gloves and opened the capsules with her gloved hands.” The LPN then “dropped part of an empty capsule on the medication cart, picked the piece up, removed her gloves to the right hand, and applied a new glove without performing hand hygiene.”
The LPN “finished preparing the medications, removed her gloves without performing hand hygiene, entered [the resident’s] room, applied gloves, and administered medications to this resident.” The Director of Nursing confirmed during an interview that the nursing staff should use hand gel or washing hands “between changing gloves.”
If you have any suspicions that your loved one as a resident in Lewis County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center was abused, neglected or mistreated, take steps now by contacting Tennessee nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565. Our network of attorneys fights aggressively on behalf of Lewis County victims of mistreatment living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Hohenwald.
Our dedicated lawyers can work on your behalf to file and resolve your claim for compensation against all those that caused your loved one’s harm, injury, or premature death. Contact us now to schedule a free case review to discuss how to obtain justice and resolve a financial compensation claim. We can start working on your case to ensure your rights are protected.
We accept every case involving nursing home neglect, wrongful death, or personal injury through a contingency fee arrangement. This agreement postpones making upfront payments for our legal services until after we have successfully resolved your compensation claim through a negotiated settlement or jury trial award. We can begin representing you in your case today to ensure you receive adequate compensation for your damages. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Attorney Cameron Jehl
Licensed in Tennessee
Tennessee Nursing Home Injury Attorney Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home