Neglecting a resident until they suffer from bedsores is abuse. Jack Huls’ family is suing The Laurels at Mt. Vernon for neglecting his Mr. Huls until he suffered from infected bedsores. On Tuesday, February 23, 2017 Mr. Huls passed away as a result of these infections.
A complaint has been filed against the Laurels at Mt. Vernon for the neglect of a resident who died from infected bedsores.
According to the lawsuit, on December 8, 2016 Mr. Huls was brought to the Laurels at Mt. Vernon for short term rehabilitation for a leg injury he had suffered. After two days, Mr. Huls became unresponsive and was rushed to the hospital. He later returned to The Laurels and it was reported that he had stage II pressure sores (bedsores).
The Laurels staff repeatedly assured the family of Mr. Huls that the sores had healed, even though they had not. Mr. Huls family also had made complaints that he was malnourished, he was poorly taken care of– his family finding him with severe, watery diarrhea on his clothing, complaining of stomach cramps, confusion, and skin breakdown.
These are all signs of infections. The family presented their concerns to the administration at The Laurels and they were reassured that he was on the way to recovery. On February 19th, he was admitted to Knox Community Hospital for sepsis, organ failure, and Clostridium Difficile (aka “C. Diff”). He passed away on February 23rd and the cause of death was C. Diff and sepsis.
You can read the lawsuit here.
Complaint, First Amended (Huls, Jack) (Timestamped)Bedsores and Understaffing
Nursing homes are required to provide adequate staff to provide the needed care of their residents. As a result,”Nursing homes like The Laurels of Mt. Vernon and Whispering Hills Care Center are required to evaluate every resident using the Minimum Data Set questionnaire shortly after the time of admission, every 90 days thereafter, when a resident has a significant improvement or decline in health (physical, mental, or psychosocial), and upon discharge.”
The lawsuit alleges that:
Defendants engaged in a systemic practice to understaff The Laurels of Mt. Vernon and Whispering Hills Care Center nursing home facilities to maximize profits at the expense of its residents’ care.
This lack of sufficient staff directly resulted in Jack Huls not receiving basic and necessary services to prevent, among other things, neglect leading to malnutrition, dehydration, bed / pressure sores, and infection that caused his death.
Systemic Understaffing
Nursing homes are typically owned by large corporations and are motivated, unfortunately not by giving proper care to residents, but rather by profits. The Laurels at Mt. Vernon are no different. They engage in false advertising to lure families of potential residents in
According to the lawsuit:
In an effort to persuade the families of patients requiring rehabilitation to become customers, Defendants make promises to the families of such potential residents that they will provide a level of care that they know they are incapable of providing.The intent and outcome of this misleading practice is to cause residents, their families, and external care providers to believe the nursing facility is much better staffed than it is.
The intent and outcome of this misleading practice is to drastically limit the budget and overhead needed to run a safe facility in order to maximize profits and syphon resources at the expense of patient safety. Defendants failed to ensure, through their operational, budgetary, consultation and managerial decisions and actions, that The Laurels of Mt. Vernon and Whispering Hills Care Center was sufficiently staffed to meet the individual needs of Jack Huls.
What’s the Purpose of a Nursing Home Wrongful Death Lawsuit?
The family has instituted suit against The Laurels at Mt. Vernon and Laurel Healthcare Company, the parent company, for wrongful death. A wrongful death lawsuit in Ohio is brought on behalf of the surviving family members. The family hopes that this lawsuit will bring awareness to mistreatment at nursing homes and will prevent future injuries to nursing homes residents.
The family has hired nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers Michael Hill and William Eadie of Eadie Hill Trial Lawyers.
Who is Laurel Healthcare Company?
According to its website, Communcare owns, runs, and manages rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities throughout Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Michigan, and Indiana,. A complete list of all Laurel Healthcare facilities is at the bottom of this article.
The Laurels of Bedford
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
270 N Bedford Road
Battle Creek, MI 49037
phone: (269) 968-2296
fax: (269) 968-8943
laurelsofbedford.com
The Laurels of Carson City
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
620 N 2nd Street
Carson City, MI 48811
phone: (989) 584-6100
fax: (989) 584-6199
laurelsofcarsoncity.com
The Laurels of Coldwater
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
90 N Michigan Avenue
Coldwater, MI 49036
phone: (517) 279-9808
fax: (517) 279-2578
laurelsofcoldwater.com
The Laurels of Fulton
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
RFD #1 4735 Ranger Road
Perrinton, MI 48871
phone: (989) 236-5433
fax: (989) 236-7672
laurelsoffulton.com
The Laurels of Galesburg
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
1080 N 35th Street
Galesburg, MI 49053
phone: (269) 665-7043
fax: (269) 665-4080
laurelsofgalesburg.com
The Laurels of Hudsonville
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
3650 Van Buren Street
Hudsonville, MI 49426
phone: (616) 669-1520
fax: (616) 669-4640
laurelsofhudsonville.com
The Laurels of Kent
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
350 N Center Street
Lowell, MI 49331
phone: (616) 897-8473
fax: (616) 897-0081
laurelsofkent.com
The Laurels of Mt. Pleasant
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
400 S Crapo Street
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858
phone: (989) 773-5918
fax: (989) 772-3656
laurelsofmtpleasant.com
The Laurels of Sandy Creek
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
425 E Elm Street
Wayland, MI 49348
phone: (269) 792-2249
fax: (269) 792-6121
laurelsofsandycreek.com
Maplewood of Marshall
A Laurel Assisted Living Community
200 Westbrook Court
Marshall, MI 49068
phone: (269) 781-4997
fax: (269) 789-2289
maplewoodofmarshall.com
Maplewood of Mt. Pleasant
A Laurel Assisted Living Community
1945 Churchill Boulevard
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858
phone: (989) 773-7001
fax: (989) 773-6586
maplewoodofmtpleasant.com
Maplewood of Sandy Creek
A Laurel Assisted Living Community
425 E Elm Street
Wayland, MI 49348
phone: (269) 792-2249
fax: (269) 792-6121
maplewoodofsandycreek.com
The Laurels of Chatham
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
72 Chatham Business Park Drive
Pittsboro, NC 27312
phone: (919) 542-6677
fax: (919) 542-1803
laurelsofchatham.com
The Laurels of Forest Glenn
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
1101 Hartwell Street
Garner, NC 27529
phone: (919) 772-8888
fax: (919) 772-4814
laurelsofforestglenn.com
The Laurels of GreenTree Ridge
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
70 Sweeten Creek Road
Asheville, NC 28803
phone: (828) 274-7646
fax: (828) 277-4766
laurelsofgreentreeridge.com
The Laurels of Hendersonville
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
290 Clear Creek Road
Hendersonville, NC 28792
phone: (828) 692-6000
fax: (828) 696-9246
laurelsofhendersonville.com
The Laurels of Pender
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
311 S Campbell St
Burgaw, NC 28425
phone: (910) 259-6007
fax: (910) 259-6111
laurelsofpender.com
The Laurels of Salisbury
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
215 Lash Drive
Salisbury, NC 28147
phone: (704) 637-1182
fax: (704) 638-2328
laurelsofsalisbury.com
The Laurels of Summit Ridge
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
100 Riceville Road
Asheville, NC 28805
phone: (828) 299-1110
fax: (828) 299-4077
laurelsofsummitridge.com
The Laurels of Athens
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
70 Columbus Circle
Athens, OH 45701
phone: (740) 592-1000
fax: (740) 592-1111
laurelsofathens.com
The Laurels of Blanchester
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
839 Cherry Street
Blanchester, OH 45107
phone: (937) 783-4911
fax: (937) 783-4573
laurelsofblanchester.com
The Laurels of Canton
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
2714 13th Street NW
Canton, OH 44708
phone: (330) 456-2842
fax: (330) 456-5343
laurelsofcanton.com
The Laurels of Chagrin Falls
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
150 Cleveland St
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022
phone: (440) 247-4200
fax: (440) 247-7763
laurelsofchagrinfalls.com
The Laurels of Defiance
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
1701 S Jefferson Avenue
Defiance, OH 43512
phone: (419) 782-7879
fax: (419) 782-3998
laurelsofdefiance.com
The Laurels of Hilliard
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
5471 Scioto Darby Road
Hilliard, OH 43026
phone: (614) 876-7356
fax: (614) 529-7127
laurelsofhilliard.com
The Laurels of Hillsboro
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
175 Chillicothe Avenue
Hillsboro, OH 45133
phone: (937) 393-1925
fax: (937) 393-3666
laurelsofhillsboro.com
The Laurels of Huber Heights
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
5440 Charlesgate Road
Huber Heights, OH 45424
phone: (937) 236-6707
fax: (937) 236-1833
laurelsofhuberheights.com
The Laurels of Massillon
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
2000 Sherman Circle NE
Massillon, OH 44646
phone: (330) 830-9988
fax: (330) 830-0039
laurelsofmassillon.com
Coming Soon!
The Laurels of Middletown
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
751 Kensington St
Middletown, OH 45044
phone: (513) 424-3511
fax: (513) 424-3695
laurelsofmiddletown.com
The Laurels of Mt. Vernon
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
13 Avalon Road
Mt. Vernon, OH 43050
phone: (740) 397-3200
fax: (740) 397-4326
laurelsofmtvernon.com
The Laurels of New London
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
204 W Main Street
New London, OH 44851
phone: (419) 929-1563
fax: (419) 929-1876
laurelsofnewlondon.com
The Laurels of Norworth
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
6830 N High Street
Worthington, OH 43085
phone: (614) 888-4553
fax: (614) 847-0009
laurelsofnorworth.com
The Laurels of Shane Hill
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
10731 State Route 118
Rockford, OH 45882
phone: (419) 363-2620
fax: (419) 363-2354
laurelsofshanehill.com
The Laurels of Steubenville
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
500 Stanton Boulevard
Steubenville, OH 43952
phone: (740) 264-5042
fax: (740) 266-6430
laurelsofsteubenville.com
The Laurels of Toledo
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
1011 Byrne Road
Toledo, OH 43607
phone: (419) 536-7600
fax: (419) 536-7601
laurelsoftoledo.com
The Laurels of West Carrollton
West Carrollton, OH 45449
phone: (937) 866-3814
fax: (937) 866-1212
laurelsofwestcarrollton.com
The Laurels of Worthington
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
1030 High Street
Worthington, OH 43085
phone: (614) 885-0408
fax: (614) 885-5003
laurelsofworthington.com
Maplewood of Shane’s Village
A Laurel Assisted Living Community
10731 State Route 118
Rockford, OH 45882
phone: (419) 363-2620
fax: (419) 363-2354
maplewoodofshanesvillage.com
The Laurels of Bon Air
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
9101 Bon Air Crossings Drive
Richmond, VA 23235
phone: (804) 521-9980
fax: (804) 521-9981
laurelsofbonair.com
The Laurels of Charlottesville
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
490 Hillsdale Drive
Charlottesville, VA 22901
phone: (434) 951-4200
fax: (434) 951-4202
laurelsofcharlottesville.com
The Laurels of University Park
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
2420 Pemberton Road
Richmond, VA 23233
phone: (804) 747-9200
fax: (804) 747-1574
laurelsofuniversitypark.com
The Laurels of Willow Creek
A Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
11611 Robious Road
Midlothian, VA 23113
phone: (804) 379-4771
fax: (804) 379-4793
laurelsofwillowcreek.com
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