By Tom Jordan
A study recently released by the minority staff of the House Committee on Government Reform concluded that the Rockville Nursing Center was among seven Long Island nursing homes to have been in serious violation of at least two federal regulations in the past 15 months, but officials from the nursing home said the study was outdated and unfair.
The report, which was requested by Representative Michael Forbes (D-Quogue), said that almost half of the nursing homes in Nassau and Suffolk Counties failed to "fully or substantially meet federal standards for care," and that one out of every six was in "serious violation" that led to patient harm. The alleged violations range from the care and prevention of bed sores to protection from abuse to nutritional deficiencies.
Ceil Strow, president of the Intercounty Health Facilities Association, which oversees the operations of 13 of the 69 nursing homes on Long Island, disputed the implications of the report.
"The studies being issued don't give a complete picture. They can be misinterpreted and misunderstood," said Ms. Strow. "I think everyone involved with those nursing homes tries to do a good job, and I think all of the negative press is a disservice to those people who work so hard."
Rick Lohne, administrator for the Rockville Nursing Center, said that the report shed a bad light about nursing homes in general, and that the problems at Rockville Nursing Center were long-ago corrected.
"Rockville Nursing Center wants to assure its residents, families, and the general public that it complies fully and completely with state regulations and patient care. We are absolutely confident that no serious or chronic patient care issues exist at Rockville Nursing Center," Mr. Lohne wrote in a statement.
"The survey results are from 1999. What [reports failed to include] is the long history of deficiency-free results on past surveys for Rockville Nursing Center. They further failed to note that currently this facility has corrected all the violations from that survey and has just been resurveyed [by the state] and was found to be in complete compliance with all regulations."
Mr. Lohne said that the administrator and many of the administrative staff were replaced in response to the violations discovered last year.
In June of 1999, union members of the Rockville Nursing Center narrowly avoided a strike when they settled contract disputes with the Intercounty Health Facilities Association. Negotiations included concessions to salary, health and safety training and the formation of a patient care committee.
Rep. Forbes, who is seeking reelection this year, attributed the study's findings to staff shortages.
"No, I don't believe that it's true that nursing homes in Nassau County are understaffed," said Ms. Strow. "I think it's a union push and a consumer push. There can't be mandated staffing; employment has to be governed by the needs' of patients."
Mr. Lohne said that the Rockville Nursing Center has "returned to its previous long-standing record of providing the highest practical level of care to it's residents."
The other six homes named as having more than one serious violation were Brunswick Hospital Center Nursing Home in Amityville, Our Lady of Consolation Geriatric Care Center in West Islip, Parkview Nursing Home in Massapequa, Wedgewood Care Center in Great Neck and Townhouse Extended Care Center and A. Holly Patterson Geriatric Center in Uniondale. A. Holly Patterson is owned by the Nassau County Medical Center.
