By Walter F. Roche Jr.
A patient at a Wilkes Barre hospital was able to attempt suicide even while being under a physician ordered one on one observation.
The Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center also was cited for failure to develop a care plan for a patient with a rare psychological eating disorder that led to the eating of metal objects including a screw and a battery.
According to the Aug. 6 report from the state Health Department the first patient was admitted on July 16 with a history of suicidal thoughts.
Despite a physician's order that the patient be under one-to-one observation. a review of hospital records showed repeated instances in which there was no one assigned to observe the patient.
On July 26, for instance, there was no one on observation duty from 7:30 a.m. until 10:20 p.m.
That was just two days after the patient attempted suicide by removing the elastic band from a pair of pants. The individual was found with the face turned red and purple, the report states.
"The staff failed to perform a patient assessment following an attempt to self-strangulate," the report continues.
The patient was discharged on Aug. 2.
In the second case a patient with a specific psychological eating disorder, a desire to taste and ingest metal, was not provided with a treatment plan.
"The patient verbalized a craving for swallowing metal," the report states.
According to Health Department surveyors the patient attempted to ingest a number six half inch bolt and a hearing aid battery.
In its plan of correction the hospital said staff were educated on the one-on-one monitoring requirements and patient assessments. Re-education and monitoring were also promised for developing care plans for patients with eating disorders.
Geisinger officials did not respond to questions about the two citations.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Monday, September 20, 2021
PA Veterans' Home Cited for Abuse, Neglect
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Just two months after a similar finding, a state run nursing home for veterans has been cited for abuse and neglect in the care provided to two of its residents.
The August inspection of the Southwest Veterans Center in Pittsburgh concluded that the facility "failed to ensure two residents were free from physical abuse and neglect," according to the state Health Department report. In both cases an employee caused the patient injuries.
The incidents, the report continues, "caused actual harm."
Nursing home officials filed a plan of correction in which they reported that one of the employees had been terminated and that staff had been retrained on abuse and neglect issues. The state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which runs the state veterans homes, did not respond to questions about the two incidents.
The 236-bed facility was cited in July for failure to proprly investigate a case of resident- on-resident abuse.
The report, the result of an Aug. 4 complaint investigation, found that in one instance a patient who suffered from dementia and behavioral disturbances, was also known to wander.
A goal of his care plan was to ensure that he would not physically abuse other residents, staff or visitors."
On June 11 the resident was observed grabbing another patient's wrist then striking the employee in the upper left arm when the employee tried to separate them.
On June 18 the patient fell face down on a bed and was sent to a hospital for treatment of a facial laceration, requiring sutures, and a skin tear on the knee.
Though an employee claimed to have learned of the patient's injury only after the fall, video surveillance showed the employee forcibly pushed the patient into his room and then left to attend to another patient. Only then did he call a nurse reporting the patient was lying face down.
In addition the patient, who also suffered from dementia, was subsequently diagnosed with a mild stroke.
The employee was suspended once the videotape was reviewed and subsequently terminated. The patient, at the family's request, was discharged on June 23, according to the facility Plan of Correction.
In the second case cited in the report, a female patient suffered lacerations when the wheelchair overturned, apparently as a result of an employee mishandling the wheelchair. The worker also failed to place a helmet on the patient, state surveyors reported.
That employee, the report states, was retrained on wheelchair and helmet procedures and not suspended or terminated. The patient had the sutures removed and recovered.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Just two months after a similar finding, a state run nursing home for veterans has been cited for abuse and neglect in the care provided to two of its residents.
The August inspection of the Southwest Veterans Center in Pittsburgh concluded that the facility "failed to ensure two residents were free from physical abuse and neglect," according to the state Health Department report. In both cases an employee caused the patient injuries.
The incidents, the report continues, "caused actual harm."
Nursing home officials filed a plan of correction in which they reported that one of the employees had been terminated and that staff had been retrained on abuse and neglect issues. The state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which runs the state veterans homes, did not respond to questions about the two incidents.
The 236-bed facility was cited in July for failure to proprly investigate a case of resident- on-resident abuse.
The report, the result of an Aug. 4 complaint investigation, found that in one instance a patient who suffered from dementia and behavioral disturbances, was also known to wander.
A goal of his care plan was to ensure that he would not physically abuse other residents, staff or visitors."
On June 11 the resident was observed grabbing another patient's wrist then striking the employee in the upper left arm when the employee tried to separate them.
On June 18 the patient fell face down on a bed and was sent to a hospital for treatment of a facial laceration, requiring sutures, and a skin tear on the knee.
Though an employee claimed to have learned of the patient's injury only after the fall, video surveillance showed the employee forcibly pushed the patient into his room and then left to attend to another patient. Only then did he call a nurse reporting the patient was lying face down.
In addition the patient, who also suffered from dementia, was subsequently diagnosed with a mild stroke.
The employee was suspended once the videotape was reviewed and subsequently terminated. The patient, at the family's request, was discharged on June 23, according to the facility Plan of Correction.
In the second case cited in the report, a female patient suffered lacerations when the wheelchair overturned, apparently as a result of an employee mishandling the wheelchair. The worker also failed to place a helmet on the patient, state surveyors reported.
That employee, the report states, was retrained on wheelchair and helmet procedures and not suspended or terminated. The patient had the sutures removed and recovered.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 14, 2021
35,389 Pa Vaccinated Residents Got Covid-19
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
After weeks of insisting the data was not needed Pennsylvania officials have disclosed that 35,389 residents got Covid-19 even after being fully vaccinated.
The data released today shows 213 of the 35,389 died and 1,820 were hospitalized, according to the state Health Department. The data includes cases from Philadelphia.
The information on so-called breakthrough cases was included in an agency release urging all residents, who have not already done so, to get vaccinated.
Citing the fact that 97 percent of those who have contracted Covid-19 were unvaccinated, Acting state Health Commissioner Alison Beam said she was hopeful the data would lead to more residents getting the Covid-19 vaccine.
“With nearly seven million Pennsylvanians fully vaccinated, the data makes it clear: the vaccines are safe and effective at preventing severe illness from COVID-19,” Beam said at a Lancaster news conference.
Previously the agency limited its disclosures to only those breakthrough cases that led to hospitalization or death.
In issuing the data today the department said,"Tracking events of Covid-19 after vaccination is important for monitoring public health."
The statistics apply to Covid-19 breakthrough cases recorded since January of this year and include only those cases that occurred at least 14 days after full immunization.
State officials have stated that breakthrough cases are not unexpected because none of thee three available vaccines are 100 percent effective.
Contact:wfrochejr999@gmail.com Lancaster, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Health's report on COVID-19 post-vaccination cases, commonly known as “breakthrough cases,” shows the overwhelming majority of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the state are among the unvaccinated. “With nearly seven million Pennsylvanians fully vaccinated, the data makes it clear: the vaccines are safe and effective at preventing severe illness from COVID-19,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said today during a news conference at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital’s Suburban Pavilion. “The overwhelming majority of the COVID-19 related cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Pennsylvania occurred in people who were not vaccinated,” she said. “In fact, the data shows that compared to unvaccinated people, fully vaccinated Pennsylvanians are seven times less likely to get COVID-19, and eight times less likely to die from COVID-19.” Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Michael Ripchinski agrees. “While masking and social distancing will help to reduce the risk of becoming infected and transmitting COVID-19, vaccines are the most effective way to protect those who are vulnerable, including the immunocompromised, and our children who are too young to get the vaccine.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines post-vaccination cases as individuals who are fully vaccinated and tested positive for COVID-19 more than 14 days after they completed their full one-dose or two-dose vaccination series. They are also referred to as vaccine breakthrough cases. Today’s online report shows that since January 2021: · 97 percent of COVID-19-related deaths were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people. Among a total of 6,472 COVID-19-related deaths identified in Pennsylvania in 2021, the latest data shows 213, or three percent, post-vaccination deaths identified. Cumulative death incidence among the unvaccinated and not fully vaccinated was 7.9 times as high as the death incidence among the fully vaccinated. · 95 percent of reported hospitalizations with COVID-19 as the primary diagnosis/cause of admission were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people. Among a total of 34,468 hospitalizations with COVID-19 as the primary diagnosis/cause of admission reported in Pennsylvania, 1,820 were reported to have occurred in fully vaccinated people. These figures account for data from 55 percent of all hospitals and 69 percent of acute care hospitals in Pennsylvania, representing approximately 80 percent of acute care beds in the state. · 94 percent of reported COVID-19 cases were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people. Among a total of 639,729 positive cases, there have been 35,389, or six percent, identified post-vaccination cases. Cumulative case incidence among the unvaccinated and not fully vaccinated was 7.1 times as high as the case incidence among the fully vaccinated. “That means that 97 percent of deaths reported through the beginning of September were in unvaccinated or not fully-vaccinated people,” Beam said. “This data is further proof that the vaccines are our best tool to protect ourselves against the virus, keep our children learning in schools, keep our workforce in-person, and foster social and economic recovery,” she said. “Every person who chooses to get vaccinated brings us a step closer to moving past the pandemic.” As the number of COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania is surging to more than 3,000 per day, doctors at numerous hospitals across the state recently began publicly discussing the number of patients in their facilities. Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center reports that 95 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 today; 28 are in the ICU. “Penn State Health is seeing some breakthrough COVID-19 cases but they are typically patients hospitalized for something else who test positive when they come in for treatment,” said Dr. Fahad Khalid, chief of hospital medicine. “Vaccinated patients typically don’t develop severe COVID-19 or need intensive care. However, about half of the unvaccinated COVID-19 patients here need intensive care, compared to less than one-quarter during earlier surges.” UPMC also reports an increase in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, with nearly 440 patients across the system on Monday. “Over the past several weeks, we have seen as much as 19 times more non-vaccinated patients ages 50 and younger admitted to UPMC hospitals compared to vaccinated patients,” said Dr. Donald Yealy, chief medical officer at UPMC. “Vaccination is crucial at this time. Our urgent plea is for everyone eligible for a vaccine to get one.” In addition to the influx of COVID-19 patients, Dr. John Williams, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, recently reported at a UPMC press briefing, “We are seeing an increase in outpatient pediatric COVID-19 cases in clinics and emergency departments and an increase of children needing hospitalization because of COVID-19. These young children are at a higher risk for becoming infected now than any other time during the pandemic.” He noted that, “In states where vaccinations are low, hospitalizations of children are four times higher than in states where vaccination of children is high. Fortunately, we know how to keep kids safe: masking, vaccination of everyone over 12, and testing.” “I truly hope that this data encourages everyone who has not yet been vaccinated to speak to their doctor about getting the vaccine as soon as possible to protect themselves and people around them,” Beam said. Post-vaccination data is now posted online at: PA Post-Vaccination Data. MEDIA CONTACT: Mark O'Neill - ra-dhpressoffice@pa.gov # # # Read More Please note: you are receiving this email because you have subscribed to receive updates for Department of Health Press Release Listserv on the DOH website. To unsubscribe, or to find additional subscriptions available from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, ple
After weeks of insisting the data was not needed Pennsylvania officials have disclosed that 35,389 residents got Covid-19 even after being fully vaccinated.
The data released today shows 213 of the 35,389 died and 1,820 were hospitalized, according to the state Health Department. The data includes cases from Philadelphia.
The information on so-called breakthrough cases was included in an agency release urging all residents, who have not already done so, to get vaccinated.
Citing the fact that 97 percent of those who have contracted Covid-19 were unvaccinated, Acting state Health Commissioner Alison Beam said she was hopeful the data would lead to more residents getting the Covid-19 vaccine.
“With nearly seven million Pennsylvanians fully vaccinated, the data makes it clear: the vaccines are safe and effective at preventing severe illness from COVID-19,” Beam said at a Lancaster news conference.
Previously the agency limited its disclosures to only those breakthrough cases that led to hospitalization or death.
In issuing the data today the department said,"Tracking events of Covid-19 after vaccination is important for monitoring public health."
The statistics apply to Covid-19 breakthrough cases recorded since January of this year and include only those cases that occurred at least 14 days after full immunization.
State officials have stated that breakthrough cases are not unexpected because none of thee three available vaccines are 100 percent effective.
Contact:wfrochejr999@gmail.com Lancaster, PA - The Pennsylvania Department of Health's report on COVID-19 post-vaccination cases, commonly known as “breakthrough cases,” shows the overwhelming majority of cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the state are among the unvaccinated. “With nearly seven million Pennsylvanians fully vaccinated, the data makes it clear: the vaccines are safe and effective at preventing severe illness from COVID-19,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said today during a news conference at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital’s Suburban Pavilion. “The overwhelming majority of the COVID-19 related cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Pennsylvania occurred in people who were not vaccinated,” she said. “In fact, the data shows that compared to unvaccinated people, fully vaccinated Pennsylvanians are seven times less likely to get COVID-19, and eight times less likely to die from COVID-19.” Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital’s Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Michael Ripchinski agrees. “While masking and social distancing will help to reduce the risk of becoming infected and transmitting COVID-19, vaccines are the most effective way to protect those who are vulnerable, including the immunocompromised, and our children who are too young to get the vaccine.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines post-vaccination cases as individuals who are fully vaccinated and tested positive for COVID-19 more than 14 days after they completed their full one-dose or two-dose vaccination series. They are also referred to as vaccine breakthrough cases. Today’s online report shows that since January 2021: · 97 percent of COVID-19-related deaths were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people. Among a total of 6,472 COVID-19-related deaths identified in Pennsylvania in 2021, the latest data shows 213, or three percent, post-vaccination deaths identified. Cumulative death incidence among the unvaccinated and not fully vaccinated was 7.9 times as high as the death incidence among the fully vaccinated. · 95 percent of reported hospitalizations with COVID-19 as the primary diagnosis/cause of admission were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people. Among a total of 34,468 hospitalizations with COVID-19 as the primary diagnosis/cause of admission reported in Pennsylvania, 1,820 were reported to have occurred in fully vaccinated people. These figures account for data from 55 percent of all hospitals and 69 percent of acute care hospitals in Pennsylvania, representing approximately 80 percent of acute care beds in the state. · 94 percent of reported COVID-19 cases were in unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated people. Among a total of 639,729 positive cases, there have been 35,389, or six percent, identified post-vaccination cases. Cumulative case incidence among the unvaccinated and not fully vaccinated was 7.1 times as high as the case incidence among the fully vaccinated. “That means that 97 percent of deaths reported through the beginning of September were in unvaccinated or not fully-vaccinated people,” Beam said. “This data is further proof that the vaccines are our best tool to protect ourselves against the virus, keep our children learning in schools, keep our workforce in-person, and foster social and economic recovery,” she said. “Every person who chooses to get vaccinated brings us a step closer to moving past the pandemic.” As the number of COVID-19 cases in Pennsylvania is surging to more than 3,000 per day, doctors at numerous hospitals across the state recently began publicly discussing the number of patients in their facilities. Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center reports that 95 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 today; 28 are in the ICU. “Penn State Health is seeing some breakthrough COVID-19 cases but they are typically patients hospitalized for something else who test positive when they come in for treatment,” said Dr. Fahad Khalid, chief of hospital medicine. “Vaccinated patients typically don’t develop severe COVID-19 or need intensive care. However, about half of the unvaccinated COVID-19 patients here need intensive care, compared to less than one-quarter during earlier surges.” UPMC also reports an increase in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, with nearly 440 patients across the system on Monday. “Over the past several weeks, we have seen as much as 19 times more non-vaccinated patients ages 50 and younger admitted to UPMC hospitals compared to vaccinated patients,” said Dr. Donald Yealy, chief medical officer at UPMC. “Vaccination is crucial at this time. Our urgent plea is for everyone eligible for a vaccine to get one.” In addition to the influx of COVID-19 patients, Dr. John Williams, chief of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, recently reported at a UPMC press briefing, “We are seeing an increase in outpatient pediatric COVID-19 cases in clinics and emergency departments and an increase of children needing hospitalization because of COVID-19. These young children are at a higher risk for becoming infected now than any other time during the pandemic.” He noted that, “In states where vaccinations are low, hospitalizations of children are four times higher than in states where vaccination of children is high. Fortunately, we know how to keep kids safe: masking, vaccination of everyone over 12, and testing.” “I truly hope that this data encourages everyone who has not yet been vaccinated to speak to their doctor about getting the vaccine as soon as possible to protect themselves and people around them,” Beam said. Post-vaccination data is now posted online at: PA Post-Vaccination Data. MEDIA CONTACT: Mark O'Neill - ra-dhpressoffice@pa.gov # # # Read More Please note: you are receiving this email because you have subscribed to receive updates for Department of Health Press Release Listserv on the DOH website. To unsubscribe, or to find additional subscriptions available from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, ple
Handicapped Patient Suffers 3rd Degree Burns
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
A severly handicapped blind patient in a city owned nursing home suffered third degree burns when she was left alone with a scalding cup of soup.
According to a report from the state Health Department, the patient who was suffering from dementia and multiple other ailments, was left "unsupervised and unassisted" even though nursing home records stated that she needed assistance from at least two staffers to eat.
The patient was "totally dependent on staff for locomotion" the report states. "The lack of supervision and assistance resulted in actual harm to the resident who sustained second and third degree burns from a hot liquid spill," the nine-page report states.
"It hurt really bad when the spill happened. I screamed," the victim told surveyors from the Health Department.
The investigation showed that when the patient asked for some soup on June 20 a nurse heated up a cup of water and mixed it with the soup and then microwaved it. She placed the styrofoam cup of hot soup on the patient's table and told her to wait ten minutes before trying to eat it. Then she left the room.
Though the patient was supposed to be placed in a set position while eating, that never happened.
A review of the nursing home records showed that by facility policy, "under no circumstances would a hot liquid be served to a resident in a styrofoam cup."
After the nurse left, the patient subsequently tried to adjust the table thus tipping over the cup which then spilled the scalding liquid on her legs, buttocks and abdomen.
The patient screamed in pain, according to the report, and blisters were found on her buttocks.
She was sent to a local hospital burn center where she was diagnosed with second and third degree burns. She later underwent surgery to debride the burnt skin followed by skin grafts.
"The lack of supervision and assistance resulted in actual harm to Resident 1 who sustained seond and third degree burns from a hot liquid spill," the report states.
Nursing home officials filed a plan of correction in which they stated that special adaptive devices were being provided for the patient and staff were re-educated on procedures to be followed with a patient with multiple disabilities.
James Garrow, spokesman for the city Health Department, which oversees the home's operatons, said the plan of correction had been implemented and accepted by the state in a followup visit.
He said privacy concerns barred the agency from discussing individual cases.
The report comes as the city owned facility has reported to the state that 19 of its patients have died from Covid 19. Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
A severly handicapped blind patient in a city owned nursing home suffered third degree burns when she was left alone with a scalding cup of soup.
According to a report from the state Health Department, the patient who was suffering from dementia and multiple other ailments, was left "unsupervised and unassisted" even though nursing home records stated that she needed assistance from at least two staffers to eat.
The patient was "totally dependent on staff for locomotion" the report states. "The lack of supervision and assistance resulted in actual harm to the resident who sustained second and third degree burns from a hot liquid spill," the nine-page report states.
"It hurt really bad when the spill happened. I screamed," the victim told surveyors from the Health Department.
The investigation showed that when the patient asked for some soup on June 20 a nurse heated up a cup of water and mixed it with the soup and then microwaved it. She placed the styrofoam cup of hot soup on the patient's table and told her to wait ten minutes before trying to eat it. Then she left the room.
Though the patient was supposed to be placed in a set position while eating, that never happened.
A review of the nursing home records showed that by facility policy, "under no circumstances would a hot liquid be served to a resident in a styrofoam cup."
After the nurse left, the patient subsequently tried to adjust the table thus tipping over the cup which then spilled the scalding liquid on her legs, buttocks and abdomen.
The patient screamed in pain, according to the report, and blisters were found on her buttocks.
She was sent to a local hospital burn center where she was diagnosed with second and third degree burns. She later underwent surgery to debride the burnt skin followed by skin grafts.
"The lack of supervision and assistance resulted in actual harm to Resident 1 who sustained seond and third degree burns from a hot liquid spill," the report states.
Nursing home officials filed a plan of correction in which they stated that special adaptive devices were being provided for the patient and staff were re-educated on procedures to be followed with a patient with multiple disabilities.
James Garrow, spokesman for the city Health Department, which oversees the home's operatons, said the plan of correction had been implemented and accepted by the state in a followup visit.
He said privacy concerns barred the agency from discussing individual cases.
The report comes as the city owned facility has reported to the state that 19 of its patients have died from Covid 19. Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Pottstown Hospital Delayed Adverse Reports
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Officials of the Pottstown Hospital failed to promptly report adverse and serious events including an assault by a patient which wasn't reported for a month.
The delayed reporting was uncovered during an annual licensure survey by the state Health Department in mid-July.
Citing multiple violations of the state Availability and Reduction of Error Act, the report cites two cases in which there were complications following surgery or an invasive procedure. The two cases came in June and July.
The serious events are supposed to be reported within 24 hours of their discovery, the report notes. An assault by a patient that occurred on May 6 was not reported to the state until June 7, the state surveyors reported.
Pottstown, a 219 bed facility, is owned by Tower Health, a financially troubled company which has been actively trying to sell off hospitals it purchased from Community Health Systems in 2017.
Other delayed reports included a fall which occurred on April 9 but wasn't reported until April 12. An EKG that was mislabeled on March 28 was not reported until April 9. A patient elopement on April 30 was not reported until May 30.
In another citation, surveyors reported that hospital records showed a patient was kept in the emergency room for more than six hours resulting in an "infrastructure failure." Two cases involving blood transfusions were cited in the report due to the failure of hospital to follow established procedures.
In one case hospital employees failed to check for vital signs 15 minutes after a transfusion was initiated. In the second case the blood flow was not increased after 15 minutes as required under hospital procedures.
In its plan of correction the hospital said it had established a procedure to ensure adverse events were properly reported. Adverse events will also be reported to the patient safety committee.
The plan calls for re-education of staff on proper blood transfusion proedures and establishment of an audit system to ensure future complaince. The hospital also promised to develop a labeling system to ensure surgical instruments can be tracked back to a particular patient in the event of an adverse event.
Tower Health did not respond to requests for comment.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Officials of the Pottstown Hospital failed to promptly report adverse and serious events including an assault by a patient which wasn't reported for a month.
The delayed reporting was uncovered during an annual licensure survey by the state Health Department in mid-July.
Citing multiple violations of the state Availability and Reduction of Error Act, the report cites two cases in which there were complications following surgery or an invasive procedure. The two cases came in June and July.
The serious events are supposed to be reported within 24 hours of their discovery, the report notes. An assault by a patient that occurred on May 6 was not reported to the state until June 7, the state surveyors reported.
Pottstown, a 219 bed facility, is owned by Tower Health, a financially troubled company which has been actively trying to sell off hospitals it purchased from Community Health Systems in 2017.
Other delayed reports included a fall which occurred on April 9 but wasn't reported until April 12. An EKG that was mislabeled on March 28 was not reported until April 9. A patient elopement on April 30 was not reported until May 30.
In another citation, surveyors reported that hospital records showed a patient was kept in the emergency room for more than six hours resulting in an "infrastructure failure." Two cases involving blood transfusions were cited in the report due to the failure of hospital to follow established procedures.
In one case hospital employees failed to check for vital signs 15 minutes after a transfusion was initiated. In the second case the blood flow was not increased after 15 minutes as required under hospital procedures.
In its plan of correction the hospital said it had established a procedure to ensure adverse events were properly reported. Adverse events will also be reported to the patient safety committee.
The plan calls for re-education of staff on proper blood transfusion proedures and establishment of an audit system to ensure future complaince. The hospital also promised to develop a labeling system to ensure surgical instruments can be tracked back to a particular patient in the event of an adverse event.
Tower Health did not respond to requests for comment.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Tuesday, September 7, 2021
Closures Hit Personal Care, Assisted Living
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
Some 35 personal care and assisted living facilities in Pennsylvania have closed their doors during the ongoing pandemic but state officials say the number of available beds have actually increased over the same period.
The closures are noted in periodic reports posted by the state Health Department. Industry experts say the closings may be due to a variety of factors and not just the Covid-19 pandemic.
"While we do not collect data on the reason for a facility's closure, we are hearing that COVID is just one reason for closures. Others include the labor shortage, facility plant issues, and retirements," said Brandon Cwalina of the state Department of Human Services.
He said that it appears that most of the closures were among smaller facilities that primarily serve recipients of the Supplemental Security Income program.
Offsetting the closures he said were new larger facilities that opened during the same time period.
In February of 2020 there were 64,731 personal home care beds available and 4,195 assisted living slots. In July of this year the personal care beds jumped to 65,404 while assisted living beds reached 4,984.
He said that while the facilities that closed generally had 20 or fewer beds, the larger ones that opened had 70 or more slots.
Though the facilties that closed were not among its members, officials of the Pennsylvania Healthcare Association (PHCA), which represents nursing homes along with asssisted living facilities, said they were aware of an uptick in shutdowns.
"Much like all of long-term care, there is a workforce problem and it’s our understanding that staffing played into the reasons for these closures. Funding to support operations and staffing could also be a factor," said Eric Heisler of the PHCCA.
Citing the staffing issues Heisler said that could likely lead to facilties limiting admissions and creating access problems. Since the closed facilties primarily served SSI recipients, they would be the one impacted, he added. "The staffing concerns are also being felt at the nursing home level and it is also causing an access to care issue as providers are limiting admissions based on the amount of workers they have to meet the state’s requirements," he concluded.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Some 35 personal care and assisted living facilities in Pennsylvania have closed their doors during the ongoing pandemic but state officials say the number of available beds have actually increased over the same period.
The closures are noted in periodic reports posted by the state Health Department. Industry experts say the closings may be due to a variety of factors and not just the Covid-19 pandemic.
"While we do not collect data on the reason for a facility's closure, we are hearing that COVID is just one reason for closures. Others include the labor shortage, facility plant issues, and retirements," said Brandon Cwalina of the state Department of Human Services.
He said that it appears that most of the closures were among smaller facilities that primarily serve recipients of the Supplemental Security Income program.
Offsetting the closures he said were new larger facilities that opened during the same time period.
In February of 2020 there were 64,731 personal home care beds available and 4,195 assisted living slots. In July of this year the personal care beds jumped to 65,404 while assisted living beds reached 4,984.
He said that while the facilities that closed generally had 20 or fewer beds, the larger ones that opened had 70 or more slots.
Though the facilties that closed were not among its members, officials of the Pennsylvania Healthcare Association (PHCA), which represents nursing homes along with asssisted living facilities, said they were aware of an uptick in shutdowns.
"Much like all of long-term care, there is a workforce problem and it’s our understanding that staffing played into the reasons for these closures. Funding to support operations and staffing could also be a factor," said Eric Heisler of the PHCCA.
Citing the staffing issues Heisler said that could likely lead to facilties limiting admissions and creating access problems. Since the closed facilties primarily served SSI recipients, they would be the one impacted, he added. "The staffing concerns are also being felt at the nursing home level and it is also causing an access to care issue as providers are limiting admissions based on the amount of workers they have to meet the state’s requirements," he concluded.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
A Worthy Disinterment ?
By Walter F. Roche Jr.
For years the family grave of the man considered by many to be the father of Tennessee law and history has remained behind a car repair shop along a commercial strip in Nashville.
Now a petition in Davidson Chancery Court seeks to have the body of John Haywood, his wife and possibly more family members disintered from the site along Nolensville Pike and moved to Nashville's historic cemetery.
Hal Hardin, a Nashville lawyer who filed the petition, said the city cemetery, will be a good and better fit for the self educated former Supreme Court Justice who died in 1826 while still sitting on the bench.
Born in North Carolina in 1753, Haywood was admitted to the North Carolina bar in 1786 and later served as Attorney General and still later as a superior court judge.
He subsequently went in to private practice and was the author of legal scholarly works on the laws of Tennessee and North Carolina.
He later moved to Tennessee where he already owned land in Tusculum. After building a home and two log cabins he began teaching law to aspiring students, creating what was believed to be one of the first law schools in the region.
He was appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1816.
Citing recent trends in historical graveyards, Hardin said the petition was prompted by concerns that the graveyard might be permanently locked at its current location.
Calling Haywood "a legal pioneer," Hardin said that thus far he has only been able to identify two of the Haywood family's ancestors.
Mary Beth Hayes, one of those two, said she supports the petition.
"Yes, as a distant descendant of Judge John Haywood, I do support the re-interment of John Haywood, his wife Martha Haywood, their family members, and any enslaved people from their current site located within a commercial development near Nolensville Road to the Nashville City Cemetery," she wrote in an email response to questions.
Hardin said it is known that Haywood's wife Martha is buried at the current site along with other family members.
He said Middle Tennessee State University has agreed to analyze the remains recovered from the Nolensville Road site. He said the city cemetery has agreed to provide the site for reinterment.
"We are trying to scrape some money together to cover remaining costs," Hardin concluded. He noted that any further development at the current site is barred while bodies are buried there.
The land is owned by Polly Properties, based in Texas. The company's Tennessee lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.
According to court filings legal notices of the proposed disinterment are ongoing and, thus far, no opposition has surfaced.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
For years the family grave of the man considered by many to be the father of Tennessee law and history has remained behind a car repair shop along a commercial strip in Nashville.
Now a petition in Davidson Chancery Court seeks to have the body of John Haywood, his wife and possibly more family members disintered from the site along Nolensville Pike and moved to Nashville's historic cemetery.
Hal Hardin, a Nashville lawyer who filed the petition, said the city cemetery, will be a good and better fit for the self educated former Supreme Court Justice who died in 1826 while still sitting on the bench.
Born in North Carolina in 1753, Haywood was admitted to the North Carolina bar in 1786 and later served as Attorney General and still later as a superior court judge.
He subsequently went in to private practice and was the author of legal scholarly works on the laws of Tennessee and North Carolina.
He later moved to Tennessee where he already owned land in Tusculum. After building a home and two log cabins he began teaching law to aspiring students, creating what was believed to be one of the first law schools in the region.
He was appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court in 1816.
Citing recent trends in historical graveyards, Hardin said the petition was prompted by concerns that the graveyard might be permanently locked at its current location.
Calling Haywood "a legal pioneer," Hardin said that thus far he has only been able to identify two of the Haywood family's ancestors.
Mary Beth Hayes, one of those two, said she supports the petition.
"Yes, as a distant descendant of Judge John Haywood, I do support the re-interment of John Haywood, his wife Martha Haywood, their family members, and any enslaved people from their current site located within a commercial development near Nolensville Road to the Nashville City Cemetery," she wrote in an email response to questions.
Hardin said it is known that Haywood's wife Martha is buried at the current site along with other family members.
He said Middle Tennessee State University has agreed to analyze the remains recovered from the Nolensville Road site. He said the city cemetery has agreed to provide the site for reinterment.
"We are trying to scrape some money together to cover remaining costs," Hardin concluded. He noted that any further development at the current site is barred while bodies are buried there.
The land is owned by Polly Properties, based in Texas. The company's Tennessee lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.
According to court filings legal notices of the proposed disinterment are ongoing and, thus far, no opposition has surfaced.
Contact: wfrochejr999@gmail.com
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