A recently filed lawsuit alleges Roseville Point Health & Wellness Center knowingly understaffed to save money.
This case is among 15
class action lawsuits alleging purposeful understaffing at 15 nursing
homes around California filed by elder abuse law firm Garcia, Artigliere
& Medby and The Arns Law Firm, which represents workers and their
families.
Aside from the 98-bed Roseville facility, the 14 other facilities are mainly located in Southern California and the Bay Area.
The Roseville lawsuit,
filed on behalf of petitioner Diane Bechtold, a resident at the center,
alleges the understaffing is “chronic and intentional” and an “effort to
pocket unearned profit.”
“This violation of each
resident’s rights was directed and implemented at the mandate of the
managers and owners of the facilities, Rockport Administrative Services
and Shlomo Rechnitz, and his multiple layers of affiliated companies,”
the lawsuit claims.
According to Mark
Johnson, from the firm Hooper, Lundy & Bookman PC, representing
Rockport, the consulting company provides services to skilled nursing
facilities “including oversight of compliance with applicable staffing
requirements.”
“Importantly, none of
the lawsuits allege any harm to the residents of facilities which
Rockport serves,” Johnson said. “Roseville Point Healthcare and Wellness
Center … is in full compliance with applicable staffing laws including
the increased staffing levels required as of July 1, 2018. In fact, its
compliance has been confirmed during standard annual audits conducted by
the California Department of Public Health.”
The health department could not immediately provide information about compliance with staffing requirements at the center.
Documents sent by
Johnson appear to show the California Department of Public Health
reported the Roseville facility had zero days of non-compliance with
required staffing levels in 2016. The health department could not
immediately authenticate the documents.
Glaser Weil trial
lawyer Jill Basinger, representing all of the defendants in the lawsuits
except Rockport, claims the nursing facilities “not only maintain the
state required 3.2 nursing hours per patient day, they even exceed
them.”
Staffing requirements
Whereas previously, 3.2
nursing hours per patient day was the minimum numeric staffing ratio
required in a skilled nursing facility under state law, as of July 1,
2018, the new minimum required ratio is 3.5.
The terminology “hours
per patient day” refers to the amount of direct nursing care hours
needed to care for a hospital or facility’s patients.
Adequate staffing is a right ensured to patients in a skilled nursing facility under California’s Patient’s Bill of Rights.
Full Article & Source:
Lawsuit alleges Roseville nursing home and others understaffed on purpose – to increase profits
1 comment:
Thank you for this article. It's everywhere. It's all about money and profit.......
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