Ridgeland Nursing Center

Abuse of the elderly, disabled, and infirm in nursing facilities often involves physical harm, emotional pain, sexual assault, or neglect. In some cases, the signs and symptoms of mistreatment are difficult to identify when confused with a declining physical or mental status. Every nursing facility in caregiver is given the responsibility of protecting the resident to ensure their health, care, and safety while they rehabilitate, get better or live out the final years of their life. The emotional stress on family members after realizing that a loved one has been harmed can be overwhelming. Our South Carolina nursing home neglect attorneys has helped many victims of nursing home abuse throughout Jasper County to ensure they obtain monetary compensation for their damages and hold those responsible for their injuries financially accountable.

If your loved one has been mistreated at Ridgeland Nursing Center, contact our South Carolina nursing home abuse lawyers.

Ridgeland Nursing Center

This Long-Term Care Home is an 88-certified bed Center providing cares and services to residents of Ridgeland and Jasper County, South Carolina. The "for-profit" Facility is located at:

1516 Grays Highway
Ridgeland, SC 29936
(843) 726-5581

Financial Penalties and Violations

Federal investigators have the legal authority to penalize any nursing home with a denied payment for Medicare services or a monetary fine when the facility is cited for serious violations of established regulations and rules the guarantee resident safety. Within the last three years, Ridgeland Nursing Center was fined $7160 on July 5, 2017. Additional documentation about penalties and fines can be found on the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Website concerning Ridgeland Nursing Center.

Ridgeland South Carolina Nursing Home Residents Safety Concerns

The South Carolina nursing home regulatory agency routinely updates their care home database systems containing the complete list of all opened investigations, safety concerns, filed complaints, incident inquiries, health violations, and dangerous hazards. This information can be found on numerous websites including The South Carolina Department of Public Health and Medicare.gov.

According to Medicare, the 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 two out of five stars for quality measures. The Jasper County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have viewed severe safety concerns and deficiencies at Ridgeland Nursing Center that includes:

• Failure to Develop, Implement and Enforce Programs That Investigate, Control and Keep Infections from Spreading

  In a summary statement of deficiencies dated July 23, 2015, the state surveyor noted the facility's failure to "maintain an infection control program designed to provide a safe, sanitary, and comfortable environment and to prevent the development and transmission of disease and infection." The deficient practice by the nursing staff and employees involved observation of the laundry that "revealed soiled items not bagged and during an observation of the medication pass [one nurse] was observed handling medication [with their] bare hands. Personal care items were not covered in the resident bathrooms."

  Follow up observations were made randomly of the laundry on July 20, 2015, July 22, 2015, July 23, 2015, that revealed: "the uncovered cart with soiled laundry items which were not bagged." On the last day, along the worker "confirmed the soiled items were not bagged." The Maintenance Director went with the surveyor on environmental rounds on July 23, 2015, where all items were observed. During that time, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) removed "pills from a blister card, putting them in [their] hands and then putting them in the medication cart for the residents to ingest." Afterward, the LPN was interviewed and "confirmed that [they had] touched the resident's medication with bare hands." The LPN also stated that "it is difficult to remove the medication from the blister cards without touching them." The investigator reviewed the facility policy titled: Oral Medication Administration Procedures that reads in part:

  "Tablets and capsules shall be handled so that fingers do not touch them. The unit dose cup shall be used to transfer the medication to the pill cup then to the patient's mouth."

  In a separate summary statement of deficiencies dated February 10, 2018, the state investigator documented the facility's failure to "ensure soiled linen was bag at the site of collection before placing it in the bins in the social utility rooms on the A and B Halls for [two halls] observed during soiled linen pickup." The investigator observed a soiled laundry pickup of the halls by a laundry worker where the soiled linen was "unpacked and dropped in the soiled linen bins in the soiled utility rooms." During an interview with a laundry worker, the worker stated that "the soiled linen should have been put in bags in the resident rooms before bringing it to the soiled utility rooms and placing it in the bins."

• Failure to Provide Bathrooms That Do Not Allow Residents to See Each Other One Privacy as Needed

  In a summary statement of deficiencies dated July 23, 2015, a state investigator noted the deficient practice concerning the nursing home's failure to provide adequately lengthed privacy curtains. The state investigator noted during an observation that the "rooms with privacy curtains were too short to allow the privacy curtain to extend around the bed to provide full privacy for residents in each room reviewed." These rooms included #139, #152, #155, #165, and #167 on July 20, 2015, where the investigator found "the privacy curtains were too short, and the opening was noted which did not provide full visual privacy." The investigator made these observations with the Maintenance Director who "confirmed the privacy curtains were too short and did not provide full visual privacy."

• Failure to Immediately Notify a Resident, the Resident's Doctor or Family Member of a Change in the Resident's Condition Including a Decline in Their Health or Injury

  In a summary statement of deficiencies dated February 10, 2018, the state agency surveyor noted the facility's deficient practice of their failure to "notify the physician related to ordered weights not done for one resident reviewed for physician's orders." The state investigator reviewed the resident's Medication Administration Sheets that revealed that the resident "was not weighed" on eleven days between October 7, 2017, and December 30, 2017." Upon further review, it was revealed that "with the exception of five times, [the resident] refused to be weighed."

  However, "there were no other weights recorded for the above days nor had the physician been notified of the resident's refusal to have weights done. During an interview with the Director of Nurses, after reviewing the information, [the Director] confirmed the resident had not been weighed, and the physician should have been notified."

• Failure to Provide Appropriate Treatment and Care According to Orders, Resident's Preferences and Goals

  In a summary statement of deficiencies dated February 10, 2018, a state surveyor noted the facility's failure to "ensure the care provided by the Hospice Health Aide for [a resident] was signed off as complete by a Registered Nurse (RN) after the care was performed and not before [for one resident] reviewed for Hospice Care and Services."

  The state investigator reviewed medical records for a resident on February 8, 2018, that revealed "the Hospice Health Aide visiting the resident and perform Activities of Daily Living three times daily. Further review of the Hospice Health Aide forms revealed a Registered Nurse had signed off on the care before was completed on February 9, 2018, and five blank sheets where the Registered Nurse had signed off on the care which had not been completed." The investigator interviewed the facility Director of Nurses who said that "I would expect the Hospice Nurse to sign after the Hospice Health Aide had completed the care, due to any changes the resident may have had."

• Failure to Provide Sufficient Fluids and Food to Maintain a Resident's Health

  In a summary statement of deficiencies dated February 10, 2018, a notation was made by a state investigator concerning the facility's failure to "provide services to maintain acceptable parameters of nutritional status for [two residents at the facility] with documented weight loss and no additional interventions."

  The state investigator interviewed the facility Director of Nurses who said that they were "not able to find interventions to address the 19-pound weight loss for [one resident] in the medical record." The state investigator reviewed the facility policy titled: Weight Assessment and Intervention that reads in part:

  • "The nursing staff and the dietitian will cooperate to prevent, monitor and intervene for undesirable weight loss."
  • "Interventions for an undesirable weight loss should focus on food. Liquid nutritional supplements, per facility formulary, may be considered if resident caloric intake remains inadequate to stabilize or increase weight. Interdisciplinary team members will consider possible interventions related to the discipline. The physician may order tests, appetite stimulants, or medications as appropriate."

• Failure to Observed Every Nurse Aide's Job Performance and Give Regular Training

  In a summary statement of deficiencies dated February 10, 2018, a state agency investigator noted the facility's failure to "ensure each Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) employed by the facility receives the required no less than twelve hours of in-service education based on their individual performance reviews and as calculated by their employment date with the facility during review of Sufficient and Competent Nursing Staff."

  The state investigator reviewed the facility's CNA annual twelve-hour in-service training based on performance reviews that revealed "less than the required twelve hours of training from the date of hire for CNAs." The investigator interviewed the facility Administrator who said that "each CNA employed by this facility has not received the required twelve hours of in-service training from the date of hire."

• Failure to Protect Every Resident's Personal Medical Records to Keep Them Private and Confidential

  In a summary statement of deficiencies dated November 3, 2016, a notation was made by the state surveyor while performing an annual licensure and certification survey concerning the nursing home's failure to "provide full visual privacy during personal care for [one resident] reviewed for urinary incontinence. The staff toileted [the resident] with the resident's room and bathroom doors open."

  The state investigator observed a resident undergoing incontinent care on November 2, 2016, where a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) "parked the resident's wheelchair in the open doorway to the resident's room and locked it in place. The CNA removed the soft waist restraint and ambulated the resident to the bathroom." The CNA "assisted the resident [in pulling down the resident's] pants, [detaching] the disposable brief, and [sitting] on the commode without closing the bathroom door or the door to the corridor."

  The investigator further observed that "when the resident had finished toileting, the CNA closed the door to the hallway before wiping the perineum. While the resident was standing without [their] clothing in place, [a second CNA] entered the room from the hall without knocking and closed it back." A third CNA "then opened the hall door without knocking with a shower chair in tow and said, 'CNA coming in!' This also occurred while the bathroom door was open, and the resident was standing without [their] clothing in place, and a full review of both certified nursing assistants." A fourth Certified Nursing Assistant said that "the other two CNA's were on the shower team for that day."

  During an interview with the Director of Nurses on November 2, 2016, the Director said that "privacy should be afforded residents during toileting." The investigator reviewed the facility's policy titled: Resident's Rights that reads in part:

  "These rights to ensure that each resident admitted to this facility: Is treated with consideration, respect in full recognition of his dignity and individuality, including in treatment and care for his personal needs."

Do You Have More Questions about Ridgeland Nursing Center?

If your loved one has suffered an injury or died prematurely while living at Ridgeland Nursing Center, call the South Carolina nursing home abuse attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 now for immediate legal representation, counsel or advice. Our network of attorneys fights aggressively on behalf of Jasper County victims who have been mistreated while living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Ridgeland. Our skilled attorneys working on your behalf can successfully resolve your nursing home abuse case against the facility and staff members that caused your loved one harm. Contact us now to schedule a free case review to discuss how to obtain justice and resolve a financial compensation claim. Let us fight aggressively on your behalf to ensure your rights are protected.

We accept every case involving nursing home neglect, wrongful death, or personal injury through a contingency fee agreement. This arrangement postpones the requirement to make a payment to our network of attorneys until after we have successfully resolved your claim for compensation through a negotiated out of court settlement or jury trial award. Our network of attorneys offers every client a "No Win/No-Fee" Guarantee, meaning you will owe us nothing if we are unable to obtain compensation to recover your family's damages. We can provide legal representation starting today to ensure your family is adequately compensated for your damages. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.