The Orleans County nursing home, Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center, where at least 23 patients died early on in the Covid pandemic has been sued by the New York State Attorney General’s office. The lawsuit relates to the treatment or lack of treatment provided to its residents. The nursing home abuse attorneys at Feroleto Law have in the past provided information on nursing home care and ranking, including Villages of Orleans so you may better make decisions to protect your loved ones.
It is represented that the facilities owners were responsible for “causing physical and emotional harm to vulnerable people” and “stripping them of their dignity”
Improper and insufficient staffing can be a major cause of harm to nursing home residents. When the nursing home was purchased by an out-of-town owner staffing was cut. The Attorney General (AG) states the Villages of Orleans facility has an “egregious history of insufficient and unqualified staffing and poor quality of care” further, the AG claims the nursing home provided poor quality of care due to the “unconscionable conversion” of more than 18 millions of dollars in profits removed from the facility for the financial benefit of it’s owners, at the expense of patients in the nursing home’s care.
The State intends to prove the facilities current owners engaged in “repeated and persistent fraud” by using Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement payments for personal use. Nursing home attorneys who handle lawsuits against adult care facilities often cite violations of safety regulations and protocols which provide a minimum standard of care to our loved ones residing in nursing homes or senior facilities.
The AG seeks to have a receiver appointed to monitor the actions of the villages of Orleans owners, and a health care professional to improve care to the residents at the nursing home.
One of the hardest decisions a family can make is where to place a mother, father, grandmother or grandfather, or other loved one in a facility when the loved one can no longer be cared for at home. Several family members appeared with the Atty. Gen. at the time the lawsuit was discussed with the public.
Vicki Juckett was reported to talk about preventing unnecessary and preventable injuries and the need for change for everyone in a facility such as the Villages of Orleans.
Darlene Stevens reportedly discussed the condition of her 59-year-old brother as dressed in dirty clothing and losing 40 pounds while at the facility and losing his ability to walk and to speak. He has since passed.
The facility was fine $66,000 for Covid 19 related violations in 2020, was again fined $20,000 in 2020 after health department inspection.
Nursing home lawyers frequently see out-of-town nursing home owners who create LLCs to avoid responsibility for negligent or reckless care of residence. The LLCs, called limited liability companies may be considered a legal loophole to avoid responsibility or divert profits. Owners may create an LLC to own the real property, but different LLC to manage the nursing home, a different LLC to handle financial matters, etc. The LLCs may pass the profits right through to the owner or owners.
Reportedly, Bernard Fuchs of Nassau County had his picture removed from the Villages of Orleans website. He and 11 other individuals were named in the lawsuit along with Telegraph Realty, CHMS Group, villages of Orleans, LLC and ML Kids Holding, LLC.
Interestingly, the AG indicates that beginning in 2015 when Orleans County sold the facility, a self-dealing and predatory lease arrangement began where the nursing home paid “exorbitant rent” to Telegraph Realty, to the tune of $15.7 million which mostly went into the pockets of individuals named in the lawsuit and also have financial interest in Telegraph Realty.
Bernard Fuchs and his associates reportedly own more than 100 nursing homes in various states. New York City Atty. Gen.’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit claims there was a “careful orchestration” of financial matters where those in control used “related party transactions” causing the Villages of Orleans to pay rent well above fair market failure to Telegraph Realty, and to pay more than $2 million and suppose it “management” fees, among other issues that provided no benefit to residents who were underserved, to the residence harm.
If you are faced with the difficult decision of placing a loved one in a healthcare facility, you should take a look ranking system provided through Medicare which provides a system of one through five stars, with one star being the lowest ranking and five stars being the highest ranking, based upon many factors considered. You should ask friends acquaintances or others with loved ones in senior facilities of their experiences and impressions. If you have questions about Nursing home negligence or nursing home abuse you can reach out to the nursing home lawyers at Feroleto Law by email or by calling us at 716-854-0700 for a confidential consultation.
Attorney John Feroleto
Attorney John Feroleto understands the value of hard work. He is known in the community and by his peers for his willingness to work and go the extra mile. Other lawyers often ask John to handle their trial matters to maximize clients’ recovery. Trial lawyers know who the best trial lawyers are. He was also named Trial Attorney of the Year in 2012 by the Western New York Affiliate of New York State Trial Lawyers Association. [ Attorney Bio ]
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