While many criticize the number of lawsuits that nursing homes face, they lose sight of the fact that litigation is an important means of oversight that helps families vindicate their legal rights. The attorneys at the Nursing Home Law Center help families throughout the litigation process while they seek to hold skilled nursing facilities responsible for their lapses in care that have injured loved ones.
This nursing home is a 123 bed for-profit facility that offers short and long-stay care to residents of the Los Angeles area. The Medicare/Medicaid approved facility is located at:
330 W Rowland St
Covina, CA 91723
(626) 967-2741
Nursing homes in California are subject to a variety of state and federal regulations. California is known to be a vigilant regulator of nursing homes that are licensed in the state. Not only does the state aggressively enforce its rules, but its regulations are usually more detailed and prescriptive than those in many states. Nursing homes in California are fined more often than those in other states. The Department of Public Health also has a robust complaint mechanism whereby residents and their families can bring issues to the attention of the state regulators. As result, California has a lower percentage of one-star homes than other states. However, there are still a number of nursing homes in the state with subpar care.
While The Rowland has not been fined by the federal government in the past three years, it has been fined by the State of California seven times for care deficiencies that placed residents in danger. The facility received a $16,000 fine in 2016 for failure to prevent a resident from developing a pressure ulcer that progressed to a Stage III bedsore, one stage below the most severe. Pressure ulcers are generally a preventable occurrence, even if a resident is at risk for developing them. A nursing home must have a care plan that involves frequently repositioning the resident to keep pressure off various parts of their bodies. Then, the wounds must be continuously treated if they develop. Even after this fine in 2016, the facility continued to experience shortcomings in the area of pressure ulcers as, in 2018, it failed to prevent a Stage II pressure ulcer from worsening.
The Rowland received four fines from California in 2017. In 2018, it was fined $15,000 for not meeting the state minimum level of required staffing the nursing home. California rules mandate that a nursing home have 3.2 actual hours of nursing time per resident per day (raised to 3.4 hours recently). This is an issue for many California nursing homes who have faced class action lawsuits for understaffing their nursing homes. Here, The Rowland did not have the required minimum staffing levels for 7 out of the 24 days in the survey. On one day, the nursing home had 2.79 nursing hours per resident.
This extreme staffing deficiency is borne out in the numbers that the facility reported to Medicare. The Rowland has only seven minutes of RN time per resident per day. RNs provide the more advanced nursing care, and facilities have been known to understaff RNs in order to enhance their profits. There are no rules for mandating a particular mix of staffing, but seven minutes of RN time per resident is not adequate to maintain the highest level of care. In addition, this facility did not have any physical therapist time for residents. Not only is this unacceptable for resident care, but it is illegal under California law.
Perhaps a result of insufficient staff, 25 percent of the residents of this facility experienced a worsening in their ability to move independently. The rate of urinary tract infections is also five times the national average. Poor hygiene and perineal care can often cause urinary tract infections in nursing home residents.
The April 2019 inspection reported resulted in 19 health citations for The Rowland. One of these citations resulted from the fact that the facility did not perform the necessary criminal background checks before hiring certain employees. Employees with certain convictions are barred from working at a nursing home, but the facility would have no way of knowing this without a background check. While the number of citations was down from the prior report, the amount of quality of care deficiencies remains relatively constant.
The 2018 inspection report contained 30 separate health citations. In addition, the facility has received six citations as a result of complaint investigations.
The attorneys at the Nursing Home Law Center routinely handle cases where residents have developed pressure ulcers due to the lack of care at a nursing home. They have also litigated against nursing homes across California on behalf of seniors and their families. They can help you if your loved one has been mistreated and suffered any form of injury at a nursing home. Contact us. You may be entitled to financial compensation in court if it can be shown that a nursing home failed to live up to its responsibilities and your family member was hurt. Call us today at (800) 926-7565 to find out how we can help you. The initial call and the consultation are free. We are only paid if you are paid, and then our fee would come out of the settlement or jury award that you would receive.
Attorney Anthony Lanzone
Licensed in California
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Attorney Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home