New York Attorney General Sues Nursing Homes for Allegedly Neglecting Residents while Misusing $83M of Taxpayer Money: A lawsuit accuses four New York nursing homes of enriching themselves while ignoring residents and subjecting them to nursing home malpractice.
The New York attorney general has filed a lawsuit against four nursing homes for misusing over $83 million in funds from Medicare and Medicaid and imperiling vulnerable residents, says an ABC News article. In her lawsuit New York Attorney General Letitia James accused the following facilities of nursing home malpractice and fraud:
- Beth Abraham Center (The Bronx)
- Holliswood Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare (Queens)
- Martine Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing (Westchester County)
- Buffalo Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing (Buffalo)
The homes are all owned and operated by Centers Health Care which, along with the facilities’ landlords and affiliated corporations, is accused in the lawsuit of using taxpayer money intended for resident care for personal enrichment and of allowing residents to suffer from a range of maladies as a result of poor care stemming primarily from inadequate staffing.
Nursing homes that attempt to operate with insufficient staffing are incapable of providing adequate care, maintaining hygienic conditions, or preserving safety for nursing home residents. James’s lawsuit enumerates the following alleged examples of nursing home malpractice as a result of low staffing in these nursing homes:
- An inability to assist residents with basic daily needs, such as using the bathroom, getting in and out of bed, eating, and maintaining personal hygiene
- A failure to answer call bells in a timely manner or at all
- A failure to provide timely meals
- An inability to prevent residents’ personal items from being lost or stolen
- A failure to prevent squalid and unsanitary conditions as a result of neglected food trays and residents’ neglected hygiene, resulting in vermin, flies, and a continuous odor of human waste
“Nursing homes are meant to be safe spaces where the most vulnerable members of our community receive the care and dignity they deserve,” James said in a statement. “Instead, the owners of Centers Health Care allegedly used these four nursing homes – and the vulnerable New Yorkers who lived there – to extract millions of dollars for their personal use, leading to elderly residents and those with disabilities suffering unconscionable pain, neglect, degradation, and even death.”
The lawsuit states that residents of these homes suffered from the following problems related to nursing home malpractice as a result of the alleged fraud:
- Dehydration and malnutrition: The suit claims residents suffered from severe dehydration and malnutrition, and, consequently, an increased risk of death. Prolonged nursing home malnutrition can result in drastic weight loss and serious health decline that can lead to death; even mild dehydration can be fatal for elderly residents. Both dehydration and malnutrition are preventable. Their occurrence is a sign of nursing home malpractice, requiring in extreme cases for the intervention of a wrongful death attorney.
- Nursing home neglect: The lawsuit alleges that residents were left to sit in their own urine and feces for long periods, a flagrant example of nursing home malpractice related to neglect.
- Nursing home infections: As a result of untreated bed sores and poor wound care, residents developed serious infections, some of which progressed to sepsis, which can be deadly, unfortunately requiring the services of a wrongful death attorney.
- Nursing home falls: Nursing home neglect allegedly resulted in the occurrence of falls from which residents sustained life-altering injuries or even death, says the lawsuit. Families of nursing home residents who die as a result of having fallen while in the care of a nursing home should contact a wrongful death attorney.
Your Trusted Advocate against Nursing Home Malpractice
Your loved one living in a Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home should live content in the knowledge that he or she will receive the quality care guaranteed by law and that every right as a nursing home resident will be upheld. Nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney Brian P. Murphy holds accountable Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing homes for inadequate care, acts of negligence, and elder abuse. As an experienced nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian Murphy is dedicated to protecting the health, security, and well-being of Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing home residents. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.
