› $580,975,000 verdict in personal injury case
Richland, S.C., County Coroner Gary Watts is raising questions about the quality of care at Midlands-area assisted living homes, according to The State. Watts referred to three deaths in the past two years in the area. One of those deaths, which Watts is investigating, occurred after an unqualified staffer gave a 50-year-old man an overdose of insulin that ultimately killed him.
Last month I told you the story of two nurses at Woodstock Residence in Woodstock, Ill., who were charged with criminal neglect and obstructing justice as a result into investigations into murders at the nursing home. Marty Himebaugh allegedly administered drugs such as morphine to calm restless patients and gave overdoses to others she deemed had lived long enough. Complaints made to her supervisor Penny Whitlock were dismissed.
When neglect or abuse is suspected against an Oklahoma nursing home resident, state statutes say the incident should be reported to the Department of Human Services or the Sheriff’s department.
Jack Crow believes the first call should be to the police.
A truly disturbing report out of Illinois this week. A series of suspicious deaths at a Chicago-suburban nursing home in 2006, the so-called “mercy killings” of one nurse, now appear to be ruthless murders committed by a caregiver who became “fed up” with certain patients.
How is it possible that it is only now becoming a requirement that nursing home facilities install life-saving sprinkler systems to help protect residents from fire? Up to this point, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) allowed older facilities that did not have these systems an exemption, allowing them to serve Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries despite the lack of this safety precaution. This week, the organization announced these facilities will have a five-year phase-in period, after which time they must have comprehensive sprinkler systems in place.
