Background Information on Taos Healthcare
Taos Healthcare, also known as Taos Living Center, is a for-profit nursing home in New Mexico. Located at 1340 Maestas Road in Taos, NM, this 102-bed facility offers both nursing services and rehabilitation therapy. As of the time of this post, Medicare has given Taos Healthcare an overall rating of one out of five stars for the facility’s performance with health inspections, staffing reports, and resident care. A rating of one out of five stars by Medicare is considered to be “much below average.” According to the staffing reports that Taos Healthcare submitted to Medicare, inside the facility the total number of nurse staff hours per resident per day is two hours and 43 minutes. This is almost a full hour less than the average of nurse staff hours per resident per day in nationwide facilities. Furthermore, Taos Healthcare received a total of 20 citations from their most recent health inspection and last 12 months of complaint and infection control inspections. The average amount of citations that facilities across the United States receive in the same time frame is 8.5.
Deficiencies at Taos Healthcare for Resident Care Violations
May 12th, 2022, Inspection at Taos Healthcare
An inspection at Taos Healthcare in May of 2022 revealed multiple deficiencies in the facility. These deficiencies ranged from residents not being provided with the correct food they had ordered for meals, to call lights not being answered, to staff yelling at residents. One incident recorded by inspectors was a resident’s fall. The resident was luckily uninjured from the event, but the nursing staff failed to record the fall in the resident’s medical chart.
March 11th, 2021, Inspection at Taos Healthcare
Several serious deficiencies were discovered during an inspection at Taos Healthcare in March of 2021.
- A resident was found unresponsive in his room by a CNA (certified nursing assistant). An ambulance was called, and once EMTs arrived, they realized that the patient was suffering from an opioid overdose. After administering Narcan, the resident woke up and was rushed to the hospital. The staff at Taos Healthcare had not received any training on medication overdoses. Even if the medical staff at Taos Healthcare had been trained on what to do in the event of a drug overdose, the facility did not have any Narcan onsite to be used in emergencies. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), “This deficient practice could likely result in residents not receiving life-saving medication immediately during an emergency in which a delay in administration could likely result in death.” Additionally, it was discovered that the facility did not have any Glucogon onsite in the event that a resident was to experience a diabetic emergency.
- Taos Healthcare failed to prevent a cognitively impaired resident from eloping from the facility multiple times. Not all the elopements or attempts at elopements were documented on the resident’s medical chart. When the inspectors interviewed Taos Healthcare’s DON (Director of Nursing), she stated that her staff cannot be expected to document every time the resident elopes or attempts to elope. According to the resident’s care plan, he was supposed to be wearing a wander guard, which is like a bracelet or anklet and alerts staff if the wearer exits the building. During the inspection, the resident was seen without the wander guard on.
Lawsuits Against Taos Healthcare for Nursing Home Negligence
Currently, there are no lawsuits pending against Taos Healthcare for nursing home abuse or neglect.
Free New Mexico Nursing Home Case Consultation
If your family member was wrongfully injured or died inside a healthcare facility, contact our New Mexico nursing home abuse attorney today to learn more about your rights. We represent victims in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos.
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Disclaimer
*The above does not mean your loved one would be in harm at this facility. Each facility gets inspected often. Almost all facilities have deficiencies. Many face civil lawsuits. You should not make a facility placement decision based solely on the above information. Each case is different. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome or indicate an expected outcome on your particular case. The above prior lawsuit information is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The information is not provided in the course of an attorney-client relationship and is not intended to substitute for legal advice from an attorney. This individual case information above is publicly filed information gathered from the publicly filed complaint. This information and these cases are not the work of this law firm. The inspection results are provided from public government agency surveys. The state Department of Health conducts a survey of all nursing home facilities at least once every 15 months. The deficiencies listed on this page may have been corrected after the date of the inspection and date of publishing this material. Citations, ratings and deficiencies are current as of the date of this post and will change later on. The inspection findings published are not complete. You may find the most up to date information at medicare.gov. This material is not endorsed by the facility or by any governmental agency. Speak with an attorney immediately if you believe you have a viable case against a nursing home, assisted living facility or medical facility.
