CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Montrose nursing home charged in death of burn patient

Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) - 8/30/2015

Aug. 29--Involuntary manslaughter charges were filed against a Montrose skilled nursing home and two staff members who worked there for failing to provide required care to a resident who was a burn victim, the state's Attorney General's office announced Friday.

The complaint, filed by Attorney General Kamala Harris, alleges that Verdugo Valley Skilled Nursing and Wellness Centre LLC was "grossly negligent" in caring for James Populus, a resident there who had suffered from burns on 90 percent of his body. The burns were the result of an arson fire he was in two decades ago. The charges allege lack of care at the nursing home resulted in his death.

Harris alleges that in the last 14 months when Populus was a resident at Verdugo Valley, he received few examinations by a doctor, which caused him to lose weight and suffer from sepsis and pneumonia. Populus died in August 2014.

Charges were filed against the facility's director of nursing, Alexiuse San Mateo, for willfully permitting Populus' death and Consuelo Policarpio, the supervising nurse who was charged with "dependent adult abuse causing great bodily injury due to a delay in calling 911."

In addition, the complaint also alleges that forms that required signatures by a treating physician went unsigned.

In 2011, Harris announced indictments against the same nursing home's former administrator for felony abuse and neglect after the death of a patient. The patient had committed suicide.

The 138-bed skilled nursing home earned a one-star rating, the federal government's symbol for achieving the lowest quality of care. So far this year, it has received three state enforcement actions, one of which for failing to have proper maintenance throughout the building.

Both San Mateo and Policarpio were arraigned Thursday. If found guilty, San Mateo faces nine years in state prison and a $10,000 fine, and Policarpio faces a maximum of seven years in state prison and a $10,000 fine. Verdugo Valley LLC faces a $10,000 fine and "exclusion from any state or federally funded health care program."

"Families who entrust loved ones to the care of a nursing home rightfully expect residents will receive the care and attention they need and that nursing homes have a legal duty to provide," Harris said in a statement. "We have filed criminal charges because we allege Verdugo Valley and its employees violated that trust and their legal duties in a way that resulted in a senseless, tragic and unnecessary death."

She said the complaint was the result of an investigation by the California Department of Justice'sBureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse attorneys and agents.

Though this is the second time Harris has focused on Verdugo Valley, charges filed by the attorney general's office on a nursing home are unusual, said Michael Connors, spokesman for the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform.

"We've been hoping the Attorney General's office would step in and take action like this," Connors said. "There have been a lot of documented deaths of nursing home residents in recent months in horrible circumstances."

"Upon learning of these allegations, we conducted an internal investigation and have fully cooperated with the authorities," said Verdugo Valley spokeswoman Sallie Hofmeister. "Based upon the information we have, we concluded that there was no basis for these allegations; we do not believe there was wrongdoing by our employees.

"Nevertheless we have taken a series of actions to ensure as much as humanly possible that what has been alleged cannot occur in the future. These actions include enhanced training of all direct care staff, improved reporting measures and increased oversight on all physician communication. We stand by the quality of care provided in our facility."

___

(c)2015 the Daily News (Los Angeles)

Visit the Daily News (Los Angeles) at www.dailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Nationwide News