Maryland Nursing Home Lawyer Blog
A class action lawsuit has been filed this week against four New York State nursing homes and the company that operates them, Legacy Health Care, for depriving patients of their legal nursing home rights.
As our Baltimore-based attorneys reported in a blog, in March of this year, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, and his Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) engaged in an investigation into nursing home neglect and abuse using surveillance cameras in nursing homes in the state of New York, to ensure that residents were receiving proper nursing home care that was free from abuse and neglect.
After the Attorney General’s seven-week investigation, eight workers who were employed by Williamsville Suburban Nursing Home were arrested for charges regarding the quality of patient care. The investigation revealed that the nursing home staff neglected to properly transfer residents to and from the bed with a mechanical lift, increasing the chances for nursing home injury and falls. The footage also showed that the staff neglected to treat patients for wounds, check for vital signs, or administer insulin. The resident’s medical records were also reportedly falsified to cover up the home’s consistent neglect.
According to the class action lawsuit, filed on behalf of all residents who have lived at Legacy Health Care from the year 2007 until now, Legacy is being accused of endangering the welfare of nursing home residents through failure to provide residents with their legally entitled nursing home right to quality healthcare, proper staffing, and an existence that is dignified.
Legacy Health Care Facilities and the nursing homes they own are also being accused of fraud, by putting corporate greed before proper healthcare, breach of contract and negligence, as well as engaging in unfair or deceptive conduct in the management and operation of the homes.
In Maryland and Washington D.C. nursing home residents have the right to live in an environment filled with quality care that is free from neglect that can lead to injury or wrongful death. Contact our attorneys at Lebowitz and Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers today, for a free consultation about your nursing home rights.
Nursing Home Faces Class Action Lawsuit, WIBV.com, October 29, 2010
New York Nursing Home Abuse Firm Files Class Action Lawsuit Against Legacy Health Care Facilities on Behalf of 6 Families, Marketwire, October 28, 2010
22 Arrested Health Care Workers in NYS, WIVB.com, March 31, 2010
Eight Charged in Case of Nursing Home Neglect, The Buffalo News.com, March 31, 2010
NYS AG Investigation Leads to 22 Arrests for Patient Neglect at WNY & Troy Nursing Homes, WKBW, March 31, 2010
Related Web Resources:
The National Center on Elder Abuse, (NCEA)
Are Washington DC Nursing Homes Doing Enough to Prevent Patient Abuse and Neglect?: One in Five US Nursing Homes Receive Low Star Ratings for Quality, Washington D.C. Injury Lawyer Blog, February 4, 2010