Worst Rated Nursing Homes in Alabama

Worst Rated Nursing Homes in Alabama

Nursing home abuse remains a rampant issue, not only in Alabama, but across the United States as a whole. As more and more facilities key in on their bottom lines—at the cost of high-quality care for the residents relying on their staff—the number of nursing home lawsuits in recent years has soared, and still more abuse and neglect occur daily that never see legal repercussions. Alabama is no exception to the nation’s nursing home quality issues, and if you or someone you live is considering moving into a facility in the state, it is important that you remain vigilant about that location’s past citations and level of quality. In order to make an informed decision, be sure to do your research before selecting a nursing home in Alabama.

Free Alabama Nursing Home Abuse Case Consultation 

To receive an Alabama nursing home abuse attorney case consultation, contact Senior Justice Law Firm today by live chatting with our office or by calling 888-375-9998.

Our Alabama nursing home abuse attorney, Avery Adcock, works exclusively on contingency fee basis.

Care Compare as a Valuable Tool

Medicare offers an online portal called Care Compare that can help you to stay informed about the best (and worst) nursing homes in Alabama. Use the tool to examine your options in your local area, but also be sure to speak with people who live in the facilities that you are considering. Even a five-star location is not immune from negligence and abuse. Nor is a one star facility necessarily going to harm your family member.

Lowest Ranked Nursing Homes in Alabama

Nursing homes across Alabama continue to flounder, with the overall quality of care, health inspections, and staffing levels all suffering as a result of the drive to increase profits and cut costs. If you are considering any of the following nursing homes in Alabama, it is important that you are aware of the ratings and inspection scores that they have achieved.

1. Coosa Valley Health and Rehab

With an overall rating of just one star, Coosa Valley scores the minimum allowable in health inspections, staffing, and quality of resident care. The facility is owned by a for-profit corporation, and it is home to 124 beds. It has received nine health citations, which is approximately four times greater than Alabama’s state average of 2.7. Its most recent health inspection report indicated that some staff were not aware of the proper use of a medication; another incident indicated that the facility failed to update its documentation regarding a resident’s DNR order and Advance Directive.

Up to 25% of residents in the facility received antipsychotic medication; this is nearly twice as many as the national average of 14%. In addition, 4.2% of residents experienced one or more falls that resulted in a major injury, and 17.8% of residents staying at the facility for the long term developed pressure ulcers, which are a preventable form of serious injury. As many as 2.8% of residents were deemed to have lost “too much weight” in the facility’s most recent inspection of quality of healthcare.

2. West Hill Health and Rehab

West Hill Health and Rehab in Birmingham, Alabama scores a one out of five in its overall rating—the minimum score a nursing home can receive. It has received two fire safety citations, and residents receive no more than 21 minutes of care from a registered nurse per day, on average. This is less than half of the national average of 45 minutes. Only seven minutes per day is allocated to physical therapy activities, and more than 7% of residents have experienced pressure ulcers during their long-term stay at West Hill.

The facility has received two complaints in the last three years that led to citations; one resident was recorded as lying for an extended time on a mattress with fecal matter present that had been covered by a sheet. Additional fecal matter was found smeared across a handrail and left uncleaned. The facility failed to ensure that certified nursing assistants received their annual dementia management training, and multiple residents were confirmed to have received unnecessary drugs for a period of time greater than the length that such medications were prescribed by a doctor as standard. Similarly, refrigerated medication was not properly secured in the facility’s cooling box.

3. Magnolia Ridge

Located in Gardendale, Alabama, Magnolia Ridge nursing home receives the minimum one star rating for its overall performance. It is operated by a for-profit corporation and maintains 148 certified beds. Residents can expect an average of three minutes with a physical therapist member of staff, and 23 minutes with a registered nurse. This is approximately half of the national average, at 45 minutes per resident per day and is below the Alabama statewide average of 38 minutes. Magnolia exceeds the national average in pressure sores, at 8.7% of high-risk residents who eventually develop them.

The facility has received seven health citations, including one for failing to adequately administer medication to residents. Staff were cited as leaving medication on a resident’s bedside table rather than ensuring it was taken 1) on time and 2) at all. Magnolia Ridge has also failed its food safety inspection when it failed to keep lettuce below the 41 degree threshold when served from a trayline in order to prevent pathogens and the development of bacteria. On the day that the inspection occurred, more than 40 residents were served a salad that contained the compromised vegetables.

4. Oaks on Parkwood Skilled Nursing Facility

The Oaks on Parkwood facility based in Bessemer, Alabama received an overall one star rating, which is considered much below average on the Medicare scale of nursing home inspection. Five percent of patients at risk of pressure ulcers developed them, and an additional 5% of residents experienced falls that resulted in at least one major injury. The facility is home to 130 beds, and 10.5% of these residents are described as losing “too much weight.”

Eight health citations have been levied against Oaks on Parkwood, primarily regarding the home’s direct treatment of its residents. Documentation issues have arisen at the facility, including an instance in which the resident’s gender and ethnicity were not accurately included in their records. Another resident who was experiencing a pressure sore failed to have the dressing applied to the wound properly and instead had no dressing at all, which prevented the appropriate administration of medication to the site. An inspection into the food safety at the facility revealed that multiple pre-prepared items were not labeled with a preparation date and had been in the refrigerator for at least one week.

5. Park Manor Health and Rehabilitation

Northport, Alabama is home to Park Manor Health, a nursing home that scored an overall rating of one star out of a possible five. It is owned by a for-profit corporation and maintains 152 beds within the facility. Receiving six fire safety citations, Park Manor’s track record is double the US average of 3 and slightly less than double Alabama’s average, at 3.4. Residents can expect approximately 29 minutes per day of attention from a registered nurse, but they do not receive physical therapy hours; the facility is currently rated at 0 PT hours per resident per day.

When it comes to health inspections, Park Manor has been cited seven times since June of 2019. Food service was the subject of some citations, as the facility failed to use food within seven days of opening and the food served for supper was not heated to the recommended safety temperature of at least 135 degrees Fahrenheit. Bed bugs were also located in six of the 81 rooms reviewed during the inspection. One citation was received for a nurse who applied medicated eye drops to a resident after transferring the medication to an unclean surface and then returning the drops to the medication supply without sanitization.

6. Attalla Health and Rehab

Attalla, Alabama is home to its aptly named Attalla Health and Rehab center, which scored an overall rating of one out of five on its inspection rating. Owned by a for-profit corporation, Attalla Health maintains almost 200 beds in its facility and accepts both Medicare and Medicaid payments. Registered nurses spend about 32 minutes with each resident per day, but physical therapy time comes in at one minute or less per resident daily. General nurse aides spend one hour and 54 minutes with residents daily, falling below the national average of two hours and 20 minutes.

On health inspections, the Attalla facility received four complaints in the last three years that resulted in citations upon further investigation. In one instance, the facility failed to provide a pureed diet to a resident with therapeutic dietary needs and instead offered chicken sandwiches, which may have posed a choking hazard that led to the resident’s death. Additionally, this event was not shared with the resident’s medical practitioner. Some hygiene practices have also been included in citations at Attalla, in which a laundry aid failed to wash her hands when transitioning from the soiled utility room to the clean utility room or at any point while folding laundry to be distributed to residents.

7. Lighthouse Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center

Lighthouse Rehabilitation, located in Selma, Alabama, has received a federal fined for confirmed health and safety violations that are considered severe or that have failed to be corrected. Lighthouse was fined in early 2020 in the amount of $41,337; the facility, which is for-profit corporate owned, contains 68 beds and has received a special designation as a location cited for potential issues related to abuse. Up to 13.9% of high-risk residents develop pressure ulcers (also known as bedsores), and the average number of hospitalizations per 1000 days of residence exceeds the national average of 1.69 at a rate of 2.58.

The most recent health inspection report details an incident in which a certified nursing assistant slapped a resident across the left side of the face with an open hand. This even occurred in the presence of two licensed practical nurses. In addition, an LPN treatment nurse was documented as treating an open pressure ulcer with contaminated gloves by failing to sanitize and change gloves in between measuring the pressure sore and applying a clean wound dressing to the site.

8. Huntsville Health and Rehabilitation, LLC

Huntsville, Alabama is home to the Huntsville Health and Rehabilitation center, which scored a one out of a possible five on its overall rating. It is a corporation-owned for-profit that operates with just over 100 beds (105) and accepts both Medicaid and Medicare patients. The facility has received multiple fines in the last three years, totaling $3,250 and $20,237, due to citations regarding health inspections and other metrics of quality of care. Huntsville Health exceeds the national average of 1.6% in relation to the percentage of residents who have or had a catheter inserted and then left in the bladder; the facility’s rate is 6.8%.

A recent health inspection identified an issue with a licensed practical nurse who failed to adequately use sanitization and proper hygiene practices to avoid the risk of contamination between residents. The LPN did not wash her hands after giving a resident oral medication, and then put on gloves over the unwashed hands. This was labeled as risk should she then need to change gloves in another resident’s room, exposing her unwashed hands to the new resident.

9. South Health and Rehabilitation, LLC

The nursing home South Health and Rehabilitation in Birmingham, Alabama has received a score of the minimum allowable one out of five stars for its overall rating. With 83 certified beds, this for-profit corporate-owned facility provides 22 minutes of registered nurse hours per resident per day—less than half of the national average of 45. Physical therapy staff hours are allocated at one minute per resident per day, in contrast to the national average of 5 minutes.

The South Health and Rehabilitation facility has been documented in four separate instances of failing to ensure the proper procedure with oxygen-supplying equipment in order to prevent infection, blockage, and other potential concerns. The oxygen tubing and humidifier bottles required as part of oxygen administration were not changed weekly or as needed, and multiple residents’ nasal cannula tubing did not have a date written on it to indicate the most recent tube change. Other staff were also noted for failure to wash their hands after removing their gloves due to the risk of contamination.

10. Aspire Physical Recovery Center at Hoover, LLC

The for-profit Aspire Physical Recovery Center in Hoover, Alabama is home to 118 certified beds and accepts residents on both Medicaid and Medicare. It received an overall rating of one star out of the maximum five, with its health inspections scoring consistently the lowest among the criteria evaluated. As many as 9.4% of high-risk residents developed bedsores, and 5.7% of residents have experienced a fall that led to a major injury. At 2.44 hospitalizations per 1000 days of residence, individuals living at Aspire are attending hospital visits more than 50% more often than the national average.

The Aspire Physical Recovery facility has seen repercussions for its food safety and handling after an inspector noted a pan of crab cake meat left on the floor in the freezer; a member of staff explained that it had been forgotten due to a truck coming in at the same time. Similarly, freezer items were left unsealed, which staff attributed to convenience; in a hurry, the employees left the bags open in order to speed up the process of serving food.

Take Action

If you or a loved one were abused or neglected inside an Alabama Nursing home, please contact Senior Justice Law Firm by chatting with us on our website or by calling us at 888-375-9998.

* Disclaimer

Ratings are based on The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ratings as of the day of this post. CMS is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that administers the Medicare program that sets quality standards in nursing homes through its survey and certification process. The Nursing Home Compare Web site features a quality rating system that gives each nursing home a rating of between 1 and 5 stars. Nursing homes with 5 stars are considered to have much above average quality and nursing homes with 1 star are considered to have quality much below average.