The Minnesota Department of Health issued the “quality of care” citation against the Texas Terrace Care Center, a Minnesota nursing home, because the “facility staff failed to continue efforts to open the door to provide emergency care” while a resident commit suicide. The Texas Terrace Care Center has been cited for nursing home neglect because its nursing staff waited for emergency personnel to force open a door and find that a resident had died by hanging.

The victim suffered from depression and congestive heart failure but wasn’t considered a suicide risk by the facility. A nurse and nursing assistant tried to force open the man’s door about 3 p.m. May 24 but could push it only slightly. They could see the man was hanging from the other side of the door but couldn’t assess his condition, according to the state report. After a call to 911, a supervisor told the nursing staff not to touch the door and to wait for police.

When firefighters arrived, they were able to push open the door without “use of excessive force,” according to the report. By the time firefighters arrived, the man had lost his pulse but his skin was still warm. Nursing home administrator, Mathew Bedard, said his nurses took immediate steps to try to enter the room but worried that forcing open the door would cause further injury to the man if he was still alive.

This incident of nursing home neglect demonstrates the catastrophic consequences that result when the nursing home turns a blind eye toward patient care. In this case, had the nursing home staff put forth minimal effort to open the door they would have been able to save valuable minutes and save a nursing home resident’s life. Read more about this sad event here.

For more information on nursing homes in Texas look here. For laws related to Texas nursing homes, look here.

Learn more about the laws applicable to Minnesota nursing homes here.
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