Many Pleasant Care Facilities Sell at Auction, Despite History of Nursing Home Violations
Posted by
Laura BlattJuly 20, 2007 11:26 PMTwenty-one California nursing homes owned by the bankrupt Pleasant Care Corp. were sold at auction earlier this month, despite their history of violations and substandard care. The buyers included LifeHouse Retirement Properties, Bina Bhatia and HC Management.
"You won't see any cutbacks in care, although there might be changes made to improve efficiency," said the CEO of LifeHouse, Lou Andriotti, about the four Pleasant Care nursing homes that the company purchased (Press-Enterprise, July 11, 2007).
Unfortunately, it's difficult to find this statement reassuring, at least not for the elderly, frail residents who make Pleasant Care facilities their home. Avoiding "cutbacks in care" when care is substandard already may not be enough. We hope that we don't see an emphasis on the bottom line rather than on upgrading the deplorable conditions in these nursing homes.
As I mentioned in other columns, Pleasant Care facilities have a dismal record. Emmanuel Health Care in Norwalk was fined $80,000 because of the death of one of its residents due to poor care. Two residents died at Pleasant Care nursing homes in Ukiah and Novato, allegedly due to neglect and negligence. At Pleasant Care Convalescent of Petaluma, 76-year old Peggy Keel died of an oral infection that went untreated, resulting in a $100,000 fine for the facility, according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Pleasant Care reached a $1.3 million settlement with the state last year, again based on charges of inadequate services and low quality care for its residents.