(914) 220-1086Silver Lake Specialized Rehabilitation and Care Center received 66 citations for violations of public health code between 2016 and 2020, according to New York State Department of Health records accessed on July 22, 2020. The Staten Island nursing home’s citations resulted from a total of seven surveys by state inspectors. The deficiencies they describe include the following:
1. The nursing home did not take adequate steps to prevent infection. Section 483.80 of the Federal Code requires nursing homes to “establish and maintain an infection prevention and control program designed to provide a safe, sanitary and comfortable environment and to help prevent the development and transmission of communicable diseases and infections.” A September 2019 citation found that Silver Lake Specialized Rehabilitation and Care Center failed to ensure such. The citation specifically describes a Registered Nurse who performed wound care for a resident “without performing hand hygiene,” specifically failing to wash her hands between cleansing the resident’s wound and putting on a new set of gloves. The citation goes on to describe instances in which “the nasal cannulas and nebulizer masks” assigned to two residents were not covered properly when the residents weren’t using him, as well as a surveyor’s observation that oxygen tubing was resting on the floor. A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the counseling of the RN and the replacement of the nasal cannula and tubing.
2. A July 2018 citation also found that Silver Lake Specialized Rehabilitation and Care Center failed to properly comply with Section 483.80. The citation states specifically that for three residents with nasal cannula and one ventilator-dependent resident, partial oxygen tubings were observed resting on the facility’s floor. The citation goes on to state that a ventilator-dependent resident’s foley bag was uncovered and resting on the floor, and that the facility “did not provide documented evidence that it developed an adequate WMP (Water Management Plan) that clearly identifies areas in the facility that are at risk of growth and spread of legionella and other opportunistic pathogens.” The citation states that these deficiencies had the “potential to cause more than minimal harm.”
3. The facility did not prevent the administration of unnecessary drugs. Section 483.45 of the Federal Code requires that resident drug regimens “be free from unnecessary drugs.” A May 2017 citation found that Silver Lake Specialized Rehabilitation and Care Center failed to ensure a resident’s regimen was free from such. The citation states specifically that the facility did not identify and implement specific non-pharmacological interventions to address the individual’s symptoms, which it describes as “episodes of agitation,” before it increased the resident’s medication dosage. The citation goes on to describe how medication nurses in the facility “consistently administered anti-anxiety medication on an as needed basis without documentation of the specific behaviors the resident was exhibiting.” A plan of correction undertaken by the facility included the discontinuation of the resident’s medication.
The attorneys at the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, PLLC work diligently to protect the rights of nursing home residents. Please contact us to discuss in the event you have a potential case involving neglect or abuse.
