State and Federal Legal Action Taken Against Western New York Nursing Homes

Four Western New York nursing homes, Fairport Baptist Homes, The Brightonian, Park Ridge Nursing Home and Wayne Health Care, have been punished with Federal and State civil and/or criminal legal sanctions in the past 6 months.

First, according to the Long Term Care Community Coalition, Fairport Baptist Homes nurse, Glenda Crawford was sentenced to a one-year condition discharge and thirty-two hours of community service after "slapping a 90-year-old wheelchair-bound woman who had dementia and then [wheeling] the woman into an activities room and [barricading] the door". Crawford was sentenced after a jury convicted her of willful violation of health laws and endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person. Fairport Baptist Homes is located in Fairport, New York.

Second, The Brightonian, a nursing home in Buffalo, New York, was fined $3,250 for "a pattern of substandard quality of care that could result in immediate jeopardy in providing care/services for highest well being" after a survery of the home's care was conducted by the New York Deparment of Health. The survey also found that The Brightonian facility failed to have systems in place "to ensure that advance directives were in accordance with the wishes for 24 of 48 residents reviewed".  Park Ridge Nursing Home, of Greece, New York, was fined $9,360 after the same survey found the same pattern of substandard quality present at The Brightonian. Park Ridge failed to have advance directives that satisfied more than 12 of its 22 of residents.

Lastly, Wayne Health Care of Newark, New York, was fined $3,250 after the New York Department of Health survey found a "pattern of substandard quality of care resulting in immediate jeopardy of in regard to accident hazards". These hazards included "excessively hot water temperature and lack of individual assessments for need for side rails".

I think that it is troubling that four western New York hospitals have been found to have substandard (or downright criminal) care within only six months of each other. It should send a message to the Department of Health that many New York nursing homes are severely lacking in adequate facilities, staff, and care for their residents. I hope that the fines, and criminal sanctions will serve as a warning to other area nursing homes that substandard care will not be tolerated, and that real changes must be made in the way that these facilities are run. I hope that the Deparrtment of Health continues to survey New York State nursing homes and sanctions those homes and staff that could be hurting its residents.

To find reports on other New York nursing homes, go to nursinghomes.nyhealth.gov.