Pinebrook Center recently cited for deficiencies related to patient safety and care
The public has a right to know about the conditions of our local area Venice nursing homes. Their main source of revenue is through the receipt of taxpayer dollars from Medicare and Medicaid. On January 5, 2015, the State of Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration conducted an unannounced investigation at the Venice nursing home known as Pinebrook Center, which is located at 1240 Pinebrook Road, Venice, FL 34285.
At that time, state investigators cited Pinebrook Center for failing to meet the guidelines set forth under the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 signed into law by President Ronald Reagan and Florida law.
Deficiencies at Pinebrook Center Related to Patient Safety and Care
Those citations of deficiencies against Pinebrook Center included:
F253 – Failing to provide housekeeping and maintenance services necessary to maintain a sanitary, orderly and comfortable environment.
F371 – Failing to ensure that the facility stores, prepares, distributes and serves food under sanitary conditions.
State of Florida investigators reported that: “The inside mental frame and drop door of the ice machine was lined with pink and black slimy residue. Dried white unidentifiable substances were observed on the lid of the ice machine. Dried brown residue lining the inside bottom of the reach-in cooler holding condiments was observed. The inside of the seals lining the cooler were coated with black and pink substances.”
F456 – Failing to maintain all essential mechanical, electrical and patient care equipment in safe operating condition.
F520 – Failing to maintain a quality assessment and assurance committee consisting of the director of nursing service; a physician designated by the facility; and at least 3 other members of the facility’s staff.
I often receive calls from local citizens who are searching for a decent nursing home for the placement of a loved one. As a nursing home abuse lawyer who handles cases in Sarasota, Venice, Englewood, Bradenton and throughout much of Florida, I examine complaint and annual surveys of area nursing homes. If you are in the process of selecting a nursing home in Sarasota County, Manatee County or Charlotte County, Florida, you should be aware that the State of Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration regulates nursing homes and conducts annual surveys and complaint investigations. Those nursing homes with a pattern of problems are often placed on the state’s “Nursing Home Watch List.”
Nursing homes like Pinebrook Center are required to comply with the above provisions that are contained within the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 in exchange for receiving taxpayer money through Medicare and Medicaid. Nursing home abuse and neglect lawyer, James Keim, seeks to hold those nursing homes accountable for the serious harm they cause by failing to follow the law and neglecting and abusing the most frail and vulnerable citizens in Florida which they are obligated to protect. If you have questions about a Florida nursing home or wish to discuss a potential case of abuse and neglect with a local nursing home abuse and neglect lawyer who has evaluated hundreds of claims, please feel free to call me, James Keim, Attorney at Law at (941) 485-7600. I always provide a free consultation and personally handle every case, and you will not be passed off to some middleman or junior level associate. All cases are handled on a contingency fee and cost basis. This means that you pay no fee or costs unless we obtain a settlement, award or verdict. And remember, when admitting a loved one to a nursing home or assisted living facility: cross out and do not agree to arbitration in the admissions paperwork!
