Mistreating senior citizens living in nursing homes is an unacceptable, reprehensible, and disgraceful action done by the hands of caregivers, visitors, and other patients. Many families relocate their loved one into the nursing home believing that they will receive the highest level of care in a safe environment. Unfortunately, neglect and abuse are an all too common occurrence that leaves victims harmed, injured, or dead.
If your loved one was injured while living in a Muskogee County nursing facility, contact the Oklahoma Nursing Home Law Center Attorneys now for immediate legal intervention. Let our team of lawyers work on your family’s behalf to ensure you are financially compensated for your monetary damages.
This Medicare and Medicaid-participating facility is a "for profit" center providing services to residents of Muskogee and Muskogee County, Oklahoma. The 101-certified bed long-term care home is located at:
1120 Illinois
Muskogee, Oklahoma 74403
(918) 682-5391
Pleasant Valley Health Care Center
In addition to providing around the clock skilled nursing care, Pleasant Valley Health Care Center offers other services. Additional focused care includes supervised activities, nutritional services, church services, whirlpool therapy, and restorative care including physical, occupational and speech therapies.
The state of Oklahoma and the federal government are legally responsible for monitoring each nursing home and imposing monetary fines and denying payments through Medicare if serious violations have been identified. These penalties are typically imposed when the violation is severe and harmed or could have harmed a resident.
Within the last three years, federal investigators imposed a monetary fine against Pleasant Valley Health Care Center for $16,776 on May 19, 2017, citing substandard care. During this time, Medicare denied payment on May 19, 2017, due to a lack of quality care.
The nursing home also received one complaint over the last thirty-six months that resulted in a violation citation. Additional information concerning the facility can be reviewed on the Oklahoma Long Term Care Provider Inspection Search Website.
To ensure families are fully informed of the level of care every nursing home provides, the state of Oklahoma and Medicare.com routinely update their long-term care home database systems with info on violations, citations, and deficiencies.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of one out of five stars, including one out of five stars concerning health inspections, two out of five stars for staffing issues and one out of five stars for quality measures.
According to state investigators, “the facility failed to implement the infection control policy for [one resident] reviewed for infection control. The facility failed to ensure the staff implement and correct contact precaution procedures for the resident.”
The investigators reviewed the facility infection control policy for contact precautions of residents who have acquired Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection or colonization to be placed on contact precautions. The policy indicates that the resident is to be placed in a private room and feasible.
A review of the Infection Control Log documents that the resident’s wound was infected. The resident was receiving an antibiotic for wound infection and another antibiotic for diarrhea. The resident was to be placed on contact precautions and assisted with hand hygiene. However, the infection control log documented the resident was not receiving antibiotics.
On March 20, 2018, surveyors observed the resident “lying in bed watching television. The resident’s door had a sign documenting the resident was on contact precautions. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was placed near the door. The resident stated she went outside to smoke independently. The resident stated no special precautions or care was taken due to her contact precautions.”
The surveyors observed a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) entering the resident’s room donned gloves but did not don a protective gown. The CNA pushed back the privacy curtain, leaned against the resident’s wheelchair, and moved personal items on the nightstand. The CNA did not wash her hands before leaving the room.”
Less than forty minutes later, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) was observed “completing a dressing change to the resident’s right hip. The LPN donned gloves but no gown and entered the resident’s room [before removing] items from the bedside table and [cleaning] the table.”
Surveyors noted that the nurse failed to follow established protocols to ensure the spread of infection is eliminated. A few minutes later, the surveyors interviewed the Director of Nursing and Assistant Director of Nursing “regarding contact precautions. The Assistant Director stated that “she did not know the resident was not washing her hands when she left the room.”
Do you suspect that your loved one is the victim of mistreatment while living at Pleasant Valley Health Care Center? Contact the Oklahoma nursing home abuse attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for immediate legal intervention. We represent Muskogee County victims of abuse and neglect in all areas including Muskogee.
We provide every potential client a free initial case consultation and offer a 100% “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee. This promise means you will not pay us anything until after we have secured a monetary recovery on your behalf.
Sources:
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Attorney Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home