Do you believe that your grandparent, parent, spouse, child or other loved one was abused, neglected or mistreated while residing in a Crawford County nursing facility? If so, we encourage you to take immediate legal action to hold those responsible for causing them harm legally and financially accountable.
The Arkansas nursing home abuse attorneys have represented many victims of mistreatment by the hands of their caregivers. Our team of affiliated attorneys have extensive knowledge in the state healthcare system and use civil tort law to ensure our clients receive the highest amount of monetary recovery for their losses. Contact us today so we can begin working on your case now.
This long-term care (LTC) home is a "for-profit" 109-certified bed center providing cares and services to residents of Van Buren and Crawford County, Arkansas. The Medicare/Medicaid-participating facility is located at:
1404 North 28Th Street
Van Buren, Arkansas, 72956
(479) 474-8021
Fined $38,815 for substandard care
The federal government and State of Arkansas have the legal authority to penalize any nursing home that has violated rules and regulations that have harmed or could have harmed a nursing facility resident. These penalties include denial of payment for Medicare services are an imposed monetary fine.
Within the last three years, Federal authorities have levied three monetary fines against Van Buren Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center including a $6886 fine on September 29, 2016, $14,302 fine on July 28, 2017, and a $13,627 fine on February 16, 2018 for a total of $34,815 in penalties. Also, the nursing home received nine formally filed complaints and self-reported three serious issues that resulted in a citation. Additional information concerning penalties and fines can be found on the Arkansas Adult Protective Services website concerning this nursing facility.
The state of Arkansas routinely updates their long-term care home database system to reflect all safety concerns, health violations, opened investigations, incident inquiries, dangerous hazards, and filed complaints. This information can be found on numerous sites including Medicare.gov and the AR 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 one out of five stars for quality measures. The Crawford County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have found serious deficiencies and safety concerns at Van Buren Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center that include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated July 28, 2017, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to “ensure panic bar and wonder-guard system alarms were maintained in proper working order, as evidenced by the failure to ensure wonder-guard bracelets were placed on the residents’ ankle [according to] the manufacturer’s instructions.”
Additionally, the investigator’s documented the facility’s failure to “ensure the wander-guard system was tested for proper functioning at the frequency specified by the manufacturer.” The nursing home also failed to “ensure an identified problem with the wander-guard system was promptly rectified and that adequate visual supervision was provided by staff to prevent a severely cognitively impaired resident from eloping from the facility undetected.”
The incident involved one of five residents “with a history of wandering/wander-guard placement. The failed practice resulted in Immediate Jeopardy, which caused or could have caused serious harm, injury or death to [the resident] who eloped from the facility on July 18, 2017 and was located by the occupant of the neighboring residence.” The deficient practice “had the potential to cause more than minimal harm to a resident who has a history of [wandering behaviors].”
The state investigative team reviewed a Nurse’s Notes dated June 6, 2017 at 10:09 PM that documented that the resident “was very confused this shift. Wandering motions, exit seeking.” The following day at 1:43 PM the Nurses Note dated June 7, 2017 documented that the resident was “very confused, wandering [around] all of the facility and attempting to get out several times the shift. The resident easily redirected.” By 9:47 PM, the resident was “very confused, wandering all around the facility and attempting to get out several times the shift.”
By June 8, 2017, at 11:37 PM, the Nurse’s Notes document that the resident “is exit-seeking. The resident has [gone] to several doors and pushed on them to set off the alarm. The resident is going in and out of rooms, pilfering through others belongings. Just administered (as needed) Xanax 1 milligram, still waiting to see if its effective and redirection with ineffective results. Gave the resident water …, resident is still wanting to go home, stating, ‘I just want to go home, I do not want to stay here.’”
The Nurse’s Notes documented that at 11:00 PM, on June 10, 2017 the resident was “still up exit seeking, pushing on doors, asking residents and staff, ‘how do I get out here?’ Attempts to redirect unsuccessful. The resident refuses to wear wander-guard bracelet, the resident removes the bracelet.” Approximately 1.5 hours later at 12:34 AM, the resident was “up pacing, exit seeking, pushing on the doors to outside, going to other residents rooms yelling and agitated, attempted to redirect the resident, attempts are unsuccessful.”
The staff at 10:03 PM had “reported the client attempting to elope, client attempts to go out the door to the smoking area.” Over the next day, the resident was up wandering around the halls and pushing on exit doors and at 3:53 AM on June 12, 2017, the resident was noted to be “up wandering the halls most the night. The resident is following staff members and other residents stating, ‘are you going home, we you take me home?,’ asking other residents to let her outside. The resident was noted to be packing upper belongings and dragging them around the facility looking for a way out.”
Documentation shows that the “resident has been in the day room in the North Hall and has pushed the elevator buttons several times and try to get on the elevator. Attempt to redirect several times and fluids, snacks, and the explanation to the resident [given] and all were ineffective.” The resident continued exit seeking behavior even at 5:00 AM.
On June 18, 2017 at 6:45 PM, the Nurse’s Notes revealed that a nurse “was notified by [another nurse] that a resident was reported to be outside the facility at approximately 6:20 PM.” The other nurse saw the resident at approximately 6:10 PM “in the day room.” The nurse writing the report stated that they were “nearby in the hall with the medication cart. The resident returned to the facility at 6:30 PM, by car with a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) with no injuries noted.” The facility had notified the resident staff and the Administrator.”
The investigative team reviewed the Facility Investigation Report for Resident Abuse, Neglect, Misappropriation of Property, and Exploitation of Residents in Long-Term Care Facilities. The documentation revealed that the resident was “seen in the South Hall Day Room, during mealtime at 6:17 PM.” The facility then “received a phone call, [where an] elderly female was found at a neighboring house sitting under a tree.” The facility did a head count and recognized that one resident was missing “on the South Hall.” The Activities Director for the South Hall was sent to the residence where the resident was found in saw that the resident “was alert, no visible signs or symptoms of distress” was stable vital signs and warm, pale skin. The resident had no injuries.
The state investigator interviewed the facility Administrator on the morning of July 25, 2017 and asked how the resident got out of the facility. The Administrator stated that “she had to exit the front doors of the unit, [and] she must have followed a family member out. The reason I say that is, I had another resident to wander out with that family member.”
The surveyor’s asked the Administrator “if this was on a secured unit?” The Administrator replied, “Yes. The employees in the dining room did not see her leave either. She had to come straight up the hallway, out the therapy doors. Those doors have to alerts – one is a code alert, where [the] alarm sounds – the other is if you hold it (panic mode) down for fifteen seconds, it will [break] that barrier, and that alarm was not working when I checked the doors that night. The code alert was working at the time.”
The Administrator said that she “had to go out to the Courtyard by the Solarium – Therapy was locked – and behind the kitchen. If she had come around the front area, she would be in that area. The last time any of my staff saw her was at 6:10 PM and they brought her back at 6:30 PM. That is when they got her back in the building. She was found [at the property next door], out in the yard, and the lady found her. She had some dirt on her, so the lady brushed it off and took her into the house and called the us. The police and ambulance were both called.” The Administrator asked, “who called the ambulance and the police?” The Administrator replied, “That lady” who found the resident in her yard.
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated July 28, 2017, a state investigator noted the nursing home's failure to “ensure a urine-soaked mattress was clean and disaffected before applying clean bed linens to prevent contamination that could result in infection.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved one of seven residents who “were dependent for incontinent care. This failed practice had the potential to affect sixty residents who were dependent for incontinent care.” The incident involved a resident whose May 3, 2017 Care Plan shows that the resident requires the help of two staff members for toilet use due to incontinence of bowel and bladder.
The state survey team observed two Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) providing incontinent care for a resident just before dinner time on July 25, 2017. One Certified Nursing Assistant stated that the resident “needs a full bed” stating that the resident “is soaked and she needs linens and everything. There was a large brown ring on the sheet that extended from one side of the mattress to the other. When she was removed from the mattress, there was a large wet spot extending from one side of the mattress to the other, and there was a strong foul odor coming from the mattress.”
The other Certified Nursing Assistant removed the bottom sheet, and without cleaning, disinfecting or attempting to dry the mattress, placed a clean sheet on the mattress over the wet spot.”
If you and your family believe your loved one has suffered injuries or harm while living at Van Buren Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, contact the Arkansas nursing home abuse lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 now. Our network of attorneys fights aggressively on behalf of Crawford County victims of mistreatment living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Van Buren. Allow our reputable attorneys to handle every aspect of your monetary compensation claim against every individual or entity that caused harm to your loved one.
Our years of experience in handling nursing home abuse recompense claims can ensure a successful resolution of your case. 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.
Our attorneys accept all personal injury claims, nursing home abuse suits, medical malpractice cases, and wrongful death lawsuits through a contingency fee arrangement. This agreement postpones making upfront payments for our legal services until after we have successfully resolved your compensation claim through a negotiated settlement or jury trial award. We provide each client a “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee, meaning you owe us nothing if we cannot obtain compensation for your damages. Let us begin working on your case today to ensure your family is adequately compensated for the damages that caused your harm. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
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