Ohio Nursing Home Residents in "Immediate Jeopardy"
Liberty Nursing Center in Toledo, Ohio was cited in an April 2008 state report as placing its residents in an "immediate jeopardy" situation.
Ralph Kasczmerak was a resident of Liberty Nursing Center for two years following a stroke. He went there for rehab but says he "spent two years of hell dealing with Liberty Nursing Center". Every time he asked for something, the staff made him feel as though he was creating problems for them. Worse yet, when an employee stole his pain medication. The facility had hired an employee knowing he had lost his nursing license and instead of investigating where the missing medication had gone, the facility chose to blame their resident. Kasczmerak was accused of selling his own pain medication!
Worse things were discovered in an inspection. Residents with mental illnesses were allowed to beat, bite, and push on each other, as well as other residents. The facility never reported this abuse to the State.
When the facility Administrator Carla Brumby was questioned why she allowed the abuse to go on, she said that her staff minimized the injuries appropriately. She also defended her decision to hire an individual whose nursing license had been revoked by stating, "I try not to judge people based on their past. I try to look to the future."
