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Preventable injuries account for nearly one-third of all potentially preventable hospital emergency room visits of Illinois nursing home residents every year. The data accumulated by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) also indicates that many falls and injuries occurring in nursing facilities nationwide go unreported. Sadly, the Gibson City elder abuse attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have handled many cases where residents have suffered injury unnecessarily by the irresponsible or negligent hands of their caregivers.
Gibson Community Hospital Annex is located within the hospital. The non-profit Corporation Annex has 16 certified Medicaid/Medicare beds and is located in Gibson City and Ford County at:
430 East 19th
Gibson City, Illinois 60936
(217) 784-2566
In addition to providing skilled nursing care, Gibson Community Hospital Annex also offers:
- Medication management
- Respite care
- Physical therapy
- Recreational therapy
- Speech therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Restorative nursing services
In an effort to maintain their nursing home database systems, the state of Illinois and the federal government routinely update information regarding every nursing facility in the United States. The information details opened investigations, safety concerns, health violations and filed complaints with result posted on numerous websites including Medicare.gov.
Currently, Gibson Community Hospital Annex maintains an overall five out of five available star rating in the national star rating summary comparative analysis system. This includes five out of five stars for health concerns and two out of five stars for quality measures. However, the Gibson City elder abuse attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have found a serious deficiency involving this facility:
- Failure to Provide Every Resident an Environment Free of Accident Hazards and Risks and Provides Adequate Supervision to Prevent an Avoidable Accident from Occurring
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 04/08/2015, a state surveyor made a notation during an annual licensure and certification survey concerning the facility's failure to "ensure a safe transfer use a mechanical lift for [a resident at the facility] reviewed for assistive devices.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff at Gibson Community Hospital Annex involved a resident who is “cognitively intact, has impairment on bilateral upper and lower extremities (contractures) and is totally dependent on staff for transfers.”
The state investigator reviewed the resident’s 01/20/2015 Care Plan that documents that the resident “is no longer able to walk due to [their] disease process requires a mechanical lift with a toileting sling (opening from the waist down with five straps) for transfers.
However, the state investigator noted that upon observation at 1:35 PM on 04/07/2015, three Certified Nursing Assistants were assisting the resident to transfer “off the bedside commode using a mechanical lift. While [the resident] was suspended in the air, [a Certified Nursing Assistant wash the resident’s] buttocks and rectum and turned away from [the resident] to search for barrier cream.” A second Certified Nursing Assistant’s “hand was placed on top of the mechanical lift bar frame and [a third Certified Nursing Assistant] held the urinary catheter drainage bag [while the resident] remained suspended her feet above the floor without physical staff support.”
The surveyor noted that the “mechanical lift waste safety belt was loosely fastened and dangled between [the resident’s] legs as [the resident] slipped down in the sling.” It was also noted that the resident’s “contracture two arms and hands were forced upward causing both shoulder areas to shrug above [the resident’s] jaw line as the sling cut into [their] axillary (armpits).” None of the Certified Nursing Assistants providing the resident care did not respond to the resident’s “position change until [the resident] stated ‘It hurts; I can’t do this any longer’.”
The state investigator interviewed one of the Certified Nursing Assistants at 1:42 PM on 04/08/2015 who said that the resident “is not usually in the sling that long and that the (sling) belt should have been tight and so it [the sling] wouldn’t ride up like that.” Less than 15 minutes earlier, a physical therapist at the facility stated that “the toilet sling would not be safe if the staff does not follow the manufacturer’s guidelines when using it. The seat belt should be snug around the waist to prevent the sling from riding up.”
At 3:00 PM that same day, the state investigator interviewed the facility’s Director of Nursing who stated that “The toilet sling seat belt should have been fastened securely to prevent the sling from riding up [...and that] all Certified Nursing Assistants are new. The investigator also noted that the undated “manufacturer guidelines document the toileting slings have a waste buckle which helps hold the sling in place during transfer.
If you suspect your loved one has suffered an avoidable injury caused by negligence or abuse while residing at Gibson Community Hospital Annex or any Illinois nursing home, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers can provide immediate legal intervention. Our team of Ford County elder abuse lawyers can take appropriate measures to obtain the financial compensation your family deserves.
To ensure that your claim for financial compensation is successfully resolved, we encourage you to contact our Gibson City nursing home neglect law offices today at (888) 424-5757 to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation. Because we accept all nursing home abuse and neglect cases on contingency, no upfront fees are required.
http://www.gibsonhospital.org/annex/
