Four Connecticut Nursing Homes Fined, One For Poor Supervision

By: Kate Farrish

A West Hartford nursing home has been fined $1,160 in connection with a March incident in which one resident had a violent outburst after being accused of sexual assaulting another resident.

The West Hartford Health & Rehabilitation Center was cited for a failure to supervise the accused resident during the outburst and not in connection with an alleged sexual assault, William Gerrish, state Department of Health spokesman, said Thursday.

On Feb. 21, a resident of the center accused a roommate of sexual assault, the state’s May citation states. When the accused resident was told of the allegation that day, the person became enraged, shouted at the accuser to recant, then threw a TV at the accuser, the citation states. The police were called and the accused resident was arrested and charged with breach of peace.

Lt. Frank Fallon, spokesman for the West Hartford police, said detectives conducted an extensive investigation and concluded with prosecutors that there was not enough evidence to substantiate the sexual assault allegation or charge the 28-year-old Hartford man.  A Hartford Superior court clerk said the second-degree breach of peace charge is still pending.

Theresa Sanderson, administrator of the home, said she did not believe the sexual assault took place. The accused resident, who was at the home for short-term rehabilitation, was discharged the day of the outburst – a few days earlier than scheduled – and has not returned to the center, she said.  The accuser suffered no mental or physical trauma, she said. No policy or procedural changes were made because of the accusation or the outburst, Sanderson said.

Three other nursing homes were also cited and fined by the state, according to citations released this week.

The Danbury Health Center in Danbury was fined $2,260 in January in connection with three cases. A nurse’s aide verbally abused a resident in December 2012 and was fired, records show.

In another case in 2012, a nurse failed to document that a resident had a bedsore and did not report it to a doctor, records show.

The state also found that the home failed to document that it had a dietary plan in place for a resident who refused to eat. The resident lost 19 pounds in four months in 2012 and was down to 98 pounds, records show.  Officials at the Danbury center could not be reached for comment.

The Groton Regency Center in Groton was fined $1,315 in May in connection with an incident in which it failed to document that it had intervened for five days when a resident at risk for dehydration was not drinking enough and had refused to eat, records show.

The center’s administrator was unavailable for comment Thursday.

The Silver Springs Care Center in Meriden was fined $1,230 in May in connection with two incidents in which residents left the facility through unsecured windows.

In December 2012, one patient kicked out a bathroom window screen and left and was found uninjured in a park a half hour later, records show. In April, another resident left through a first-floor lounge window and was found two blocks away a half hour later. The resident had fallen and had scrapes on a leg, knee and hand, records show. Records show that maintenance workers secured the home’s windows.