The nursing staff and administration at any nursing facility in the United States can be held legally liable for any fault that damages a resident who was neglected, mistreated, or abused. Unfortunately, many patients suffer countless injuries from accidents or events that could have been prevented had the staff followed acceptable standards of practice. Other patients become victims of sexual assault by caregivers, employees, visitors, or other residents.
If your loved one was victimized while residing in a Walker County nursing facility, contact the Georgia Nursing Home Law Center attorneys now for immediate legal intervention. Let our team of lawyers handle your case to ensure your family receives monetary recovery for your damages. Time is of the essence; all paperwork must be filed in the proper Georgia county courthouse before the statute of limitations expires.
This long-term care center is a 112-certified bed "for-profit" home providing services to residents of Lafayette and Walker County, Georgia. The Medicare and Medicaid-participating facility is located at:
800 Patterson Rd
Lafayette, Georgia 30728
(706) 638-4112
Pruitthealth - Shepherd Hills
In addition to providing 24/7 skilled nursing care, Pruitthealth - Shepherd Hills Nursing Center offers other services. These services include IV (intravenous) therapy, oxygen therapy, pain management, wound management, hospice, medication management, and restorative care involving physical, occupational and speech therapies.
The state of Georgia and the federal government have a legal responsibility for monitoring every nursing home. 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.
Over the last three years, federal investigators imposed two large monetary and penalties against citing substandard care. These penalties include a $12,688 fine on July 20, 2017, and a massive fine of $325,098 on March 21, 2016, for a total of $337,786. Also, the nursing home received two formally filed complaints that resulted in citations. Additional information about penalties and fines can be reviewed on the Georgia Nursing Home Reporting Website.
To be fully informed on the level of care nursing homes provide, families routinely research Medicare.gov and the Georgia Department of Public Health website database systems for a complete list of deficiencies, violations, and citations.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of one out of five stars, including one out of five stars concerning health inspections, three out of five stars for staffing issues and four out of five stars for quality measures.
Failure to Develop, Implement and Enforce a Program That Investigates, Controls and Keeps Infection from Spreading - citation date September 16, 2015
According to investigators, the facility "failed to label and store personal care items" and "failed to ensure proper catheter care was provided for five residents with indwelling catheters."
The facility also "failed to ensure staff responsible for providing catheter care were provided the education and in servicing on the facility's guidelines." The deficient practice failed to "prevent the development and transmission of disease and infections."
Failure to Ensure That Services Provided by the Nursing Facility Meet Professional Standards of Quality - citation date March 21, 2016
The nursing home "failed to ensure nursing services were provided [according to] professional standards of practice regarding medication administration and monitoring for [one resident] who incorrectly received two doses of [their medication within 30 minutes] for pain without monitoring of assessment for adverse effects."
Also, the nursing home failed to make correct identification before administering the medication to the resident "who received another resident's medication in error." The surveyors determined that the situation was in noncompliance that "caused or had the likelihood to cause serious injury, harm, impairment or death to residents."
A review of the resident's Nursing Notes revealed the medication error was made by a newly hired Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). After the administration of the drug, the resident's "blood pressure began to drop, and the resident stayed in and out of consciousness. The blood pressure was documented at 64/38."
The resident was placed in a Trendelenburg position [head lower than feet] and was administered oxygen at 2 Liters per minute via a mask. The resident was then transferred to the hospital and admitted into the ICU (intensive care unit).
The state surveyors stated that there was "no evidence of how the LPN verified [the resident's identity before] administering him the incorrect medications."
Was your loved one mistreated while residing at Pruitthealth - Shepherd Hills Nursing Center? Contact the Georgia nursing home abuse attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for immediate legal intervention. We represent Walker County victims of abuse and neglect in all areas including Lafayette.
It is always free to discuss your case with our legal team. We provide a 100% "No Win/No-Fee" Guarantee, meaning you will owe us nothing until we can secure financial recovery on your behalf. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Attorney Lance D. Lourie
Licensed in Georgia
La Fayette Nursing Home Injury Attorney Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home