Baltimore City Nursing Home Neglect Over Problems with Air Conditioners

A Baltimore city nursing home has been fined more than $50,000 for allowing elderly and ill residents to bake in near-100 degree temperatures without air conditioning before a 911 call alerted the state to the problem. The actions of this nursing home operator constituted nothing short of nursing home neglect for failing to take steps to properly care for their residents.

A report by the Maryland Office of Health Care Quality recently determined that Ravenwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Baltimore City harmed its residents when it failed to take action or alert the state when the air conditioning system failed earlier this month. It was one of two nursing homes in Baltimore City that had to be evacuated this summer because they did not have sufficient air conditioning to keep elderly residents cool.

After air conditioning systems in Ravenwood Nursing Home broke down on July 2, the state had to remove 150 residents from that facility, and it had to take similar actions at Liberty Heights Health and Rehabilitation Center, removing 74 residents from that nursing home.

In the case of Ravenwood, the nursing home management failed to tell the state that their air conditioning failed in a timely manner, leaving residents to swelter in 100-degree heat. Liberty Heights did not even have central air installed, according to state officials, instead using a number of individual units. When state officials evacuated the home, temperatures inside were reportedly 94 degrees.

The state reported that temperatures inside the nursing home’s walk-in refrigerator were up to 60 degrees, an unsafe temperature to store food. The door had been propped open with a food cart, presumably in an effort to cool the rest of the kitchen. The report indicated that administrators at Ravenwood knew for more than a year that the air conditioning system had problems.

The state fined the nursing home $52,500 and ordered it to create a correction plan within 10 days. It has three months to reach substantial compliance with state and federal nursing home regulations.

The elderly are generally considered to be at the highest risk of suffering injury and death during extremely high temperatures, making a lack of sufficient air conditioning an act of nursing home neglect and abuse. The soaring temperatures this summer should be no surprise for Baltimore city nursing homes, since Maryland is often subject to intensely hot and humid summers.

Nancy Grimm, director of Maryland’s Office of Health Care Quality told local media that the only reason the state learned about problems at Ravenwood was because a resident called 911. The facility could be cited for environmental deficiencies, and is currently shut down.

It is not the first time that the Baltimore nursing home, located in downtown, has run into trouble over claims of nursing home abuse and neglect. Previous inspections have found that the facility did not have proper preventative policies for nursing home abuse or theft of nursing home residents’ property. It also been cited for hiring people with a history of abusing and mistreating residents. In addition, the nursing home has failed to keep infections from spreading, and failed to control the use of drugs in the home.

BALTIMORE NURSING HOME NEGLECT LAWYERS

The Maryland nursing home lawyers at Saiontz & Kirk, P.A. investigate potential claims for abuse and neglect that result in a serious injury for a resident. Family members entrust the care of their loved ones to a nursing home, and when neglect occurs, it can have a devastating impact on the health and quality of life for residents.

To review a potential Baltimore nursing home lawsuit with our lawyers, request a free consultation and claim evaluation.