Many families have limited options on how to ensure that their loved one receives the best care and choose to place them in a community nursing facility. Unfortunately, the incident rates of abuse and neglect occurring in nursing homes nationwide have risen significantly over the last few decades. Many patients become victims of mistreatment at the hands of caregivers, employees, visitors, or other residents.
If your loved one suffered harm while living in a Pima County nursing facility, contact the Arizona nursing home affiliate attorneys now for immediate legal intervention. Let our team of abuse prevention lawyers work on your family’s behalf to ensure you receive monetary compensation for your damages.
This facility is a 240-certified bed "for-profit" long-term care home providing services and cares to residents of Tucson and Pima County, Arizona. The Medicare and Medicaid-participating center is located at:
2900 East Milber Street
Tucson, Arizona 85714
(520) 294-0005
NO WEBSITE
In addition to providing 24/7 skilled nursing care, Sapphire of Tucson Nursing and Rehabilitation Center offers other services. Additional focused care includes short-term and long term care.
It is a legal responsibility of state and federal investigators to hold nursing homes accountable if they have violated rules and regulations that harmed or could have harmed a resident. These penalties include monetary fines and the denial of payment for Medicare services.
This nursing facility received four complaints and self-reported four serious issues over the last three years that resulted in violation citations. Additional information concerning the facility can be reviewed on the comprehensive Arizona Adult Protective Services Website.
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Our attorneys review data on every long-term and intermediate care facility on Medicare.com and the Arizona Department of Public Health website.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of one out of five stars, including one out of five stars concerning health inspections, one out of five stars for staffing issues, and four out of five stars for quality measures.
The state investigators determined that the nursing home “failed to ensure the environment was free from accident hazards by failing to accurately assess two residents for safe smoking and by failing to ensure fire safety equipment was available in the area where residents smoked.”
A review of the severely cognitively impaired resident Smoking Assessment revealed that the resident was “identified as a non-smoker.” The Nursing Admission Evaluation included that the resident “had inappropriate verbal skills [and] did not use tobacco and had previously quit smoking.”
The MDS (Minimum Data Set) Assessment included that “the resident requires supervision of one person with bed mobility, transfers, toilet use, and personal hygiene, and was independent with locomotion on the unit.”
However, the resident’s Care Plan did not “address the resident was a smoker, nor were there any interventions to address any smoking needs.” The Clinical Record revealed “there was no evidence that a smoking assessment for this resident was conducted” since admission. The facility Administrator provided a list of residents who smoked to the investigative team. The resident’s name was not included.
The resident stated during an interview that “he goes out in front of the facility to smoke.” The surveyors observed the resident “self-propelling himself in his wheelchair out of the facility to a desert lot, which was located beyond the parking lot.”
The lot consisted of “dirt, dry weeds, and bushes. The resident parked himself in an area near several bushes. The resident was then observed to light a cigarette. The resident smoked for approximately ten minutes, and no staff was present. During this time, the resident was observed to flick the cigarette ashes onto the ground.”
During the observation, “there was no other residents out smoking.” Further observations “revealed that there were no smoking receptacles, nor any fire safety equipment found in the area.”
The facility Administrator stated “that they were a non-smoking facility, but they do have residents who smoked. He stated the resident needed to go smoke outside the facility’s property to the desert parking lot, which is owned by the county. He said the cigarette butts are removed by the landscaper of this property. He further stated that there are no smoking schedules and there is no staff supervising these residents because the facility is a non-smoking facility.”
Were you the victim of mistreatment, neglect, or abuse while living at Sapphire of Tucson Nursing and Rehabilitation Center? Contact the Arizona nursing home abuse prevention lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for immediate legal intervention. We represent Pima County victims of abuse and neglect in all areas, including Tucson.
We do not charge for case evaluations and consultations. Also, we provide a 100% “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee. This promise means we will postpone all of your payments for legal services until after we have secured a financial recovery on your behalf.
Sources:
Attorney James Morgan
Licensed in Arizona
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Attorney Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home