| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
State health officials cite Sacramento care home
Wednesday June 18, 2003SACRAMENTO (AP) A Sacramento nursing home was cited and fined $75,000 for the death of a patient, state health officials said Wednesday.
Poor care by the Gramercy Court nursing home led to the death of the 80-year-old patient, said Diana M. Bonta, director of the state Department of Health Services.
The patient was admitted to the facility in August, 2002, with a neurological condition caused by swelling in the spinal cord, hypothyroidism and anemia. He was dependent on nursing staff for most of his activities, DHS said.
On Jan. 25, the man was taken to the emergency room five days after the staff noticed his health had deteriorated. He died there three days later of acute pneumonia.
DHS found that for several days before his hospitalization, there were no documents that indicate the patient had a complete nursing assessment. The investigation also found no documents to show that the patient's doctor was told of changes in his blood pressure and temperature or that he had developed a cough.
A phone message left at the Gramercy Court offices was not immediately returned. The facility can appeal the citation.
(