Sadly, mistreatment and abuse still occurs at many facilities across America. According to statistics, senior citizens become the most vulnerable members of society when placed in the hands of caregivers at home, and assisted living centers and nursing facilities.
If your loved one was harmed while residing in a Champaign County nursing facility, contact the Ohio Nursing Home Law Center Attorneys now for immediate legal help. Let our team of lawyers work on your family’s behalf to help you seek justice and ensure you receive financial compensation to recover your damages.
This center is a 32-certified bed Medicare and Medicaid-participating facility providing services to residents of Utica and Champaign County, Ohio. The "for profit" long-term care home is located at:
233 N Main Street
Utica, Ohio 43080
(740) 892-3414
Utica Care Center
In addition to providing 24/7 skilled nursing care, Utica Care Center offers other services. Additional focused care includes Alzheimer’s/dementia care, hospice, respite care, long-term care, and restorative care including occupational, physical and speech therapies.
The federal government and the state of Ohio are authorized to penalize any nursing home with monetary fines or deny payment for Medicare services when the facility has been cited for serious violations of rules and regulations.
This nursing facility also received three complaints and self-reported two serious issues over the last three years that resulted in violation citations. Additional information about this nursing home can be found on the Ohio Long-Term Care Consumer Guide.
The state of Ohio and federal government regularly updates their long-term care home database system with complete details of all deficiencies, citations, and violations.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of one out of five stars, including two 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 surveyors documented that the nursing home “failed to provide adequate supervision to prevent the elopement [wandering away] of one cognitively impaired resident who had a history of [wandering].” The failure by the nursing staff resulted in Immediate Jeopardy when the resident “eloped from the facility on September 12, 2018.”
The investigator stated that “the likelihood of serious harm or injury occurred when the resident was found approximately 1.8 miles from the facility after walking down a two-lane State Route with no sidewalks.” Before being identified by the nursing staff as missing, “the resident was found by an off-duty employee [a housekeeper].”
Documentation shows that there were twelve residents identified as being at risk for elopement at the facility.”
On September 12, 2018 at 1:22 PM, the resident “was observed on the facility video camera footage exiting the main entrance unsupervised.” Approximately one hour later, an off-duty housekeeper observed the resident walking down the State Route 1.8 miles away from the facility where the speed limit is 55 mph. There were no sidewalks on the road.
As part of the investigation it was determined that on September 12, 2018, “the facility identified that every 15-minute checks had not been completed for [the resident] between June 9, 2018, and September 12, 2018, as ordered/Care Plan. Beginning on October 1, 2018, a plan for the Assistant Director of Nursing and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) to review every 15-minute checks sheet daily for all residents, including [that resident] who were on 15-minute checks was implemented to ensure the checks were being completed.”
The facility “failed to ensure weekly pressure ulcer assessment including wound description and staging.” This failure affected to residents “reviewed for pressure ulcers. The facility identified to residents currently with pressure ulcers in the facility” that contain thirty-one residents.
The survey team reviewed the resident’s medical records that revealed “a Stage II pressure ulcer (partial thickness loss of dermis/epidermis presenting as a shallow open ulcer with a pink-red wound bed, without slough, and yellow in color) about 10.0 cm in diameter. It was also noted there was large amounts of stringy devitalized tissue) discovered on May 26, 2017 to the left buttock.”
However, a review of the Wound Assessments found “no evidence of the wound description including if there was any drainage, condition of the wound area, the wound tissue type, healing or granulation tissue versus slough or eschar (black or brown, leathery, and dead tissue).”
The investigators interviewed the Director of Nursing who “verified the weekly pressure ulcer assessments did not include a complete assessment or description or staging of the pressure ulcer on each assessment for [the resident’s] Stage II pressure ulcer.”
Has your loved one been being mistreated or neglected while living at Utica Care Center? Contact the Ohio nursing home abuse attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 for immediate legal intervention. We represent Champaign County victims of abuse and neglect in all areas including Utica.
Our network of attorneys provides every potential client an initial free case consultation. Also, we offer a 100% “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee, meaning you do not owe us any money until we have received monetary recovery on your behalf.
Sources:
Attorney Nancy Iler
Licensed in Ohio
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home