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Bayside Care Center
is located on Great Mills Road in Lexington Park. In
a recent survey of families with a family member at
Bayside, 89% said they would recommend Bayside to a
friend as a place to put a family member in need of
care. I wonder what those families would think if
they knew that at its last fire survey on May 17,
2007, Bayside had 7 fire safety deficiencies as
follows. The building does not have
1. “fire resistant room wall surfaces.
2. walls or barriers that prevent smoke from passing
through and would resist fire for at least one hour.
3. construction that can resist fire for one hour or
an approved fire extinguishing system.
4. a fire alarm system that can be heard throughout
the facility.
5. an approved installation, maintenance and testing
program for fire alarm systems.
6. an approved automatic sprinkler system connected
to the fire alarm system.
7. exits that are free from obstructions and can be
used at all times.”
Ask your local fire department what they think of
the safety of the frail residents in such a building
if a fire were to start.
Bayside is an older building, and it was constructed
before fire retarding construction was regulated as
it is now. That is true and might excuse the first 6
deficiencies. However, that is no excuse for having
obstructions in front of fire exits when the fire
inspector is present.
I wonder what the family members would think if they
knew that Bayside also received 41 deficiencies at
its last survey (January 16, 2008). Only three other
facilities out of Maryland’s 233 recorded a worse
record, and one of those was on the verge of having
its Medicaid certification withdrawn for several
months.
I wonder what family members would think if they
knew that Bayside is the only facility in Maryland
to have accumulated 6 actual harm deficiencies
(actions which resulted in harm to a resident) in
its last survey – a dubious distinction.
According to the survey report, a physician was not
notified that a medication ordered by the physician
was not available for 48 hours. At the end of 48
hours, when the resident had become “less responsive
than usual with abnormal vital signs,” the physician
was notified. Then Physician ordered the resident to
the hospital via emergency transport.
Another emergency transport resulted when,” The
facility staff failed to follow up a Doppler study
to rule out a DVT (blood clot) in a timely manner.”
Luckily, the resident survived.
And another emergency transport resulted when “The
facility staff failed to intervene when the resident
did not have a bowel movement.”
Other citations include, ‘facility staff failed to
notify the physician when residents experienced
changes in condition, when an essential medication
was not available and/or not administered and when a
resident experienced continued signs and symptoms of
depression.” And, “The facility staff failed to
notify the physician when a resident at risk for
dehydration experienced a significant, rapid, weight
loss.”
Surveyors also cited Bayside for failure “to
maintain the A-wing nourishment pantry in a clean
and sanitary manner.” They report, “while conducting
the environmental tour, it was observed that the
resident nourishment pantry on A-wing, was not kept
in a sanitary manner. Soiled containers and dirty
utensils had been left in the sink. Several of the
items contained names of residents and others were
unmarked. It was not known how long these items had
been in the sink or if they were placed there by the
staff on duty or by
another shift. The food residue in the containers
looked dry and hard. The housekeeping and
maintenance supervisors said the room was supposed
to be clean and those items should not have been
left there.”
“The facility staff failed to accurately transcribe
physician's orders and administer medications as
ordered, failed to obtain laboratory tests as
ordered, and failed to report laboratory findings to
the physician when available.” This is perhaps the
worst finding of the lot of them as far as a
so-called “skilled nursing facility” is concerned.
Without accurate transcription of physician orders,
administration of medications as ordered, obtaining
tests as ordered, and reporting findings to the
physician when available, nursing care becomes less
than desirable.
So here’s a note to the 89% of families who said
they would recommend Bayside to someone else – this
is not a good time to make such a recommendation.
Bayside has acquired more actual harm deficiencies
than any other nursing home in Maryland. The
deficiencies of the “skilled nursing” care at
Bayside are close to being the worst in Maryland.
The A wing nourishment pantry has been found
unsanitary.
And if a fire ever occurs. . .
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