Suspect A Problem Nurse? Learn More About The Nurses History Here?
I received a lot of emails from families who were concerned about the safety of their loved ones following our recent Nursing Homes Abuse Blog entry regarding the lack of national regulation of nurses. Our blog entry was based on an in depth report regarding nursing regulation that appeared in a ProPublica series on poor care provided by nurses with a blemished record of providing quality patient care.
The articles highlight the problems associated without a centralized database regarding nurses backgrounds and whether they have been disciplined in one state-- only to legally find work in another.
Thankfully, ProPublica reporters Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber did a great service compiling information on nurse regulation on a national level. The duo's compilation contains links to the following information:
- License look-up page
- Whether the states has a free on-line license look-up
- Free disciplinary documents on-line
- Contact information regarding obtaining medical records
- Lists of disciplines nurses by state
While the information contained in this link can not eradicate poor nursing care, providing transparency on nurses background may help prevent additional situations involving abuse or neglect.
Nonetheless, should you have further concerns regarding the staff at a nursing home or hospital, don't be shy about reporting the individual to the head of the facility or to law enforcement officials. Thankfully, most staffing issues can be resolved in this matter-- before further intervention is necessary.
Below is a map that appeared in the ProPublica series. The purple states allow free retrieval of license look-up on line.
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Loopholes in a reciprocity program amongst 24 states that allows nurses from one state to transfer to another may be putting a tremendous number of nursing home and hospital patients at risk for receiving poor care-- or perhaps more accurately downright dangerous care.
If you were to look at just one criteria for selecting a nursing home, I'd tell you to look at the facilities staffing levels. Sure, its nice to have a sparkly new facility and perhaps a gourmet chef, but when it comes down to patient care nothing can take the place of a sufficiently staffed facility with properly trained men and women..png)
As if we need another reason to be concerned over nursing home patient safety, an .png)
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A probe by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the staff at Rosewood Care Center in Northbrook, IL revealed many employees at the Chicagoland nursing home were working at the facility illegally--- without proper paperwork the government requires for aliens to legally work.
A report issued by the Minnesota Department of Heath has cited White Community Hospital and Nursing Home for errors made by a nursing assistant during the transfer of a patient. The incident occurred when the CNA attempted to transfer a disabled patient from their bed to a wheelchair using a sling. During the transfer, the patient was dropped. The patient suffered a broken arm and leg which contributed to their death two days later..png)
On July 31, 2009, the Tennessee Department of Health suspended any new resident admissions to .png)
Perhaps one of the most de-humanizing aspects of nursing home life is the reliance on others for toileting needs. Especially in the case of bed-bound residents, notifying a staff member every-time one needs to use the toilet, means being reliant on others for basic bodily functions..png)
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Along those lines, homicide charges were filed against Alador Thompson, an employee of Cambridge-Brightfield Assisted Living Facility in Hatfield, PA. The charges are related to an October 8th incident in which Thompson poured scalding oatmeal into the mouth of an Alzheimer's patient she was responsible for feeding. The oatmeal caused the resident to suffer burns to his lips, tongue, and the inside of his mouth.
Long before summer parties have begun, some nursing home owners are getting into a limbo contest of their own-- how low can they go with respect to the liability insurance they carry for their facility. In terms of liability insurance coverage, many facilities are electing to completely forgo such insurance or obtain such negligible coverage that provides mostly for the 'cost of defense' -- to pay lawyers to defend them. .png)
Center in Montrose, IA, Lora Washburn, did the correct thing and reported the incident to the facility's administrator. Or did she? Not satisfied with the nursing home administrator's failure to respond to the situation, Washburn filed a complaint with the state documenting the abuse. Days after the complaint was made to state authorities, Washburn was accused of trying to intimidate co-workers and was fired from her position..png)
On February 2nd, Carrie 'Christine' Evans wandered from Primrose Villa Nursing Home just a few hundred yards to her death. Officials from the North Carolina Medical Examiner's office concluded that Ms. Evans' death was due to a closed head injury after a fall. The incident occurred less than 1/5 of a mile from the North Carolina nursing home. There were similar episodes where Ms. Evans' wandered from the facility prior to this incident..png)
Yvonne Winslow, a Georgia nursing home worker, has been charged with six felony counts including abuse of the elderly after admitting to authorities she stole an elderly couples debit care and used it at several stores in the Savannah, GA area. The financial abuse of elderly took place at the Savannah Specialty Care Center where Winslow was working as a caretaker. Winslow has been terminated from the facility and is in jail as she awaits trial. Read more about this case of financial exploitation of the elderly 
Three nurses at 
However, when a facility has a combination of residents requiring 24-hour nursing, rehabilitation and personal care the lines of what is required get blurred. As this nurse points out, some people simply require more care than others and 
Nursing home workers at Windsor Healthcare nursing homes are holding a demonstration today to protest resident safety. The nursing home employees hope current resident safety issues will be corrected. Federal surveys document over 360 
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