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Legal Problems at Epworth Village in Hialeah
Epworth Village Retirement Community is an assisted living facility located at 5300 W. 16th Ave, Hialeah, Florida 33012-2104. It has been owned by Aldersgate Retirement, Inc. since October 2003 and holds itself out as offering “Chef prepared meals” and “24-hour medical care.”
However, since 2003, the facility has been fined 4 times for a total of $3,000 by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration for failure to comply with state and federal regulations. Moreover, a lawsuit alleging negligence has been filed against Epworth Village, which is summarized below.
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Olga Sainz, as putative representative of the Estate of Reinaldo Romero and Exector de son Tort v. Epworth Village, Inc; Aldersgate Healthcare Inc.
Allegations: According to the Complaint, Mr. Reinaldo Romero was a resident at Epworth Village when he was transferred to a hospital which noted a 47-pound weight loss in the past 3 months, recurrent urinary tract infections, and pressure sores. As a result of the facility’s negligent care, the Complaint alleges that Mr. Romero died.
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In addition to the lawsuit above, several deficiency citation reports have been filed against the facility by AHCA, which are summarized below. These reports show how the facility is being operated and provides insight into how residents of the facility are at risk of negligent care and/or abuse at Epworth Village Retirement Community. Additionally, in 2020 and 2021, Epworth Village had high COVID numbers.
Standard Statement of Deficiencies dated 8/1/2019 at Epworth Village
The surveyor noted that a resident’s record showed that she had 3 falls over a 2-week period. According to the record, the resident sustained injuries as a result of one of the falls and was transported to the emergency department of a hospital. There was no evidence that an adverse incident report had been filed for that fall, although incident reports had been filed for the other falls. The staff member responsible for the report stated that she did not file one because the resident had come back in the morning from the hospital.
Standard Statement of Deficiencies dated 6/20/2019 at Epworth Village Hialeah
During this inspection, the facility’s Emergency Power Plan log showed that the facility had not notified all of its residents and/or their guardians of the power plan’s implementation. Each resident should have signed any notification provided; only one signed letter was provided to the surveyor as proof that the facility had informed its residents of the emergency power plan. The Administrator stated, “okay, we don’t have all of the notifications.”
Monitor Statement of Deficiencies dated 10/4/2018 at Epworth Village ALF
Two issues were found by AHCA in this inspection. First, the facility did not have any proof that an annual sanitation inspection had been conducted.
Second, the facility did not accurately document a resident’s health changes and did not have an updated health assessment form for that resident. That resident’s health assessment form only stated that she needed her blood sugar monitored; however, in reality, she was dependent on receiving medication 4 times a day, which was not mentioned.
Conclusion
Epworth Village is a large, non-profit that is doing the best it can in trying times. However, even though Epworth Village is a good Miami ALF, families should still be vigilant in inspecting their loved one for injuries.
From the recent deficiency citation reports and the lawsuit filed against Epworth Village Retirement Community, it appears that residents at this assisted living facility are occasionally not monitored properly and this had led to at least one resident suffering falls. The failure to properly document changes in resident health via updated health assessment forms is also dangerous, as there is no other record of what a resident requires in terms of assistance with administration of medication, assistance with activities of daily living, and whether there was been a recent change in the resident’s health. These failures indicate that residents of Epworth Village Retirement Community may be at risk of receiving negligent care or be victims of abuse.
If your family member suffered abuse or neglect in Hialeah, our Miami nursing home abuse attorneys can help. These are serious allegations that could lead to death, and we may be able to help you with your case. Call us now at 305-780-5166.
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