State moves to suspend licenses of troubled L.A. nursing home companies

The California Department of Public Health is moving to suspend the licenses of 7 Southern California nursing facilities that person been repeatedly cited successful caller years for contributing to patients’ deaths.

The authorities wellness section sent letters past period to 7 companies successful Los Angeles County that received astatine slightest 2 “AA” violations wrong the past 2 years, indicating a nonaccomplishment that contributed substantially to the decease of a resident.

The facilities see Ararat Nursing Facility, a Mission Hills nursing location cited past twelvemonth implicit lapses related to 2 residents’ deaths little than 3 months apart.

Mark E. Reagan, an lawyer for Ararat, said the installation plans to entreaty the suspension.

“Not lone is immoderate enactment for suspension unwarranted, it is besides not successful the champion interests of the assemblage oregon residents of the facility,” Reagan said. “The facility’s apical precedence is and ever has been the information and well-being of its residents.”

In summation to Ararat, the authorities said different facilities targeted for licence suspension were Antelope Valley Care Center successful Lancaster, Brier Oak connected Sunset successful Hollywood, Golden Haven Care Center successful Glendale, Kei-Ai Los Angeles Healthcare Center successful Lincoln Park, Santa Anita Convalescent Hospital successful Temple City and Seacrest Post-Acute Care Center successful San Pedro.

None of those facilities sent letters by the authorities responded to requests for remark Thursday.

An AA usurpation is simply a comparatively uncommon punishment wrong authorities enforcement. Only 99 person been issued to the much than 1,200 skilled nursing facilities successful California since the commencement of 2020, according to authorities data.

According to California law, the authorities tin determination to suspend oregon revoke a nursing home’s licence erstwhile the installation gets 2 specified violations wrong 2 years.

In practice, the AA citation has been issued truthful infrequently that fewer facilities crossed that threshold, said Tony Chicotel, a elder unit lawyer with California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform.

Chicotel said helium was “pleasantly surprised” by the state’s caller vigor successful issuing AA violations and moving guardant with licence suspensions.

“As acold arsenic I cognize — and I’ve been doing this a agelong time, a mates decades — this is new,” Chicotel said.

Representatives from the authorities nationalist wellness section didn’t instantly respond to requests for comment.

In each case, authorities investigations recovered failures and oversights that contributed straight to residents’ deaths.

At Golden Haven successful Glendale, which antecedently operated arsenic Glenoaks Convalescent Hospital, an probe revealed that unit withheld a diabetic resident’s insulin and failed to show the person’s humor sweetener for 61 days, resulting successful the patient’s hospitalization and decease successful April 2024, according to the state’s report.

At Brier Oak connected Sunset, a nonmigratory died successful August 2024 aft rolling disconnected a furniture portion her caregiver was tending to a antithetic patient, the authorities said successful its citation report, which noted that paramedics recovered the pistillate lying connected the level successful a excavation of blood.

Facilities successful usurpation often resoluteness citations done appeals, settlements oregon different alternate routes that little the severity level of their violation, their good magnitude oregon both, Chicotel said.

All 7 of the companies cited were informed by missive that their licence would beryllium suspended successful 30 days from the sending day if they did not workout their close to appeal. Advocates said they expected each of them to appeal.

Rachel Tate, vice president of ombudsman services astatine the nonprofit Wise & Healthy Aging, said she was troubled by the information that galore facilities recorded aggregate diligent deaths earlier the authorities took action.

“I recognize that we request to beryllium giving facilities owed process and these different opportunities, but it seems we are sacrificing diligent attraction successful the process,” Tate said. “How galore radical are you allowed to termination and inactive get to entreaty and support your license? That’s precise concerning.”