New York Nursing Home Fined in Death of Elderly Resident
The Crossings, a nursing home facility located in Minoa, New York, was hit with a $13,300 fine from The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid for substandard quality of care.
On October 15, 2007, an elderly 89 year old resident was served blueberry pancakes and sausage for dinner. A nurse's aide cut the meal into bite-sized pieces for the resident. Shortly thereafter, the aide noticed the woman's mouth was open, she was not breathing, and her lips were blue. The aide failed to call a "code blue", which is an announcement that alerts facility staff to the emergency and calls them to assist. It also is designed to activate the 911 system. Tragically, the aide also did not begin the Heimlich maneuver. An LPN who arrived at the scene did not perform either of the procedural steps. The registered nurse supervisor who came to assist also did not immediately call a "code blue" or 911.
The woman was subsequently taken to a hospital, where she died. An ensuing investigation revealed that the staff had not been properly trained on "code blue" drills, which put all residents in immediate jeopardy and placed the residents in harm's way.
