Source: Philly.com (Philadelphia Inquirer) December 13, 2008
In early December 2008, Willow Crest Manor, a personal-care home in Pennsylvania, was finally shut down by the Department of Public Welfare (DPW) after many years of violations and issues of negligence. Forty-eight patients, most of them with mental health problems, were removed from the Willow Grove, PA location.
According to the DPW, among the long list of violations, Willow Crest was seriously understaffed and poorly trained. They were also allowing unlicensed employees to administer medications, and they were not recording the medications given, making it impossible to know if all the patients were receiving their proper dosage or even their proper medication. One patient was supposed to get their medication twice daily, but only received one dose in six days. Another patient, a diabetic, informed staff members that he needed his insulin. When they ignored his request, he injected himself. Other residents were receiving recalled medication and some were even given medications without an order from their doctor. There were also two deaths in a two week period in late 2008 that lead to a lengthened investigation of the facility.
The DPW had tried to shut down Willow Crest Manor for a while. Owned by Anand Mittal, the DPW first intervened in November 2005 after citing a series of violations. New and repeated violations continued throughout 2007. Finally in January 2008, the DPW did not renew Mittal’s license and banned any new admissions into the facility. They also cracked down on three other facilities owned by Mittal, Southampton in Bucks County, and Diston Manor and Adelphia in Philadelphia.
Mittal was required by the DPW to hire an Administrator and also undergo routine medication audits. Not long after the administrator was hired, the staff began to tell her horror stories. The administrator also began to notice sections of the facility that were run down and not properly maintained, creating opportunities for safety hazards. She witnessed how the staff was poorly trained and how they mistreated some of the patients, she said that some staff even stole from them. She was also suspicious of Mittal, and in August 2008, her suspicions proved to be true. An employee informed her that they had just seen Mittal strangle a 74-year old patient for about 30 seconds just because he knocked on a locked door in the lobby. The administrator called the DPW as well as the local police, who charged Mittal with assault, harassment, and disorderly conduct. The administrator quit one week after the incident.
_____________________________________________________
If you suspect nursing home or nursing care abuse and/or negligence of a loved one, please contact us today toll free 866-778-5500 for a free case evaluation and to speak with an experienced attorney. Richard P. Console Jr. PC has been devoted to representing our clients in the Metro Philadelphia and southern New Jersey areas for 15 years. Let us protect your loved ones from further harm. To learn more about our firm please visit our website www.richardconsole.com
