Lawsuit: Nursing home neglect led to death
YOUNGSTOWN — Thomas Ward Sr. of Canfield was a resident of the Oasis Center for Rehabilitation and Healing nursing home for less than two months in 2018, but during that time developed an infestation of maggots between his nasal passages and throat, along with severe bed sores and other health complications that led to his death, according to a new lawsuit.
Youngstown attorneys Richard Bush and Ryan Harrell filed the civil complaint Thursday in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court against the facility and its operator Oasis Nursing LLC on behalf of Ward's estate, alleging instances of neglect that caused Ward's wrongful death and seeking unspecified damages.
The suit also names several unidentified Oasis workers and their respective employers as defendants for their alleged negligence in Ward's assessment and wound prevention care.
Ward was admitted to the 850 East Midlothian Blvd. facility in late August 2018 to receive nursing care and rehabilitation following a stroke, according to the complaint.
The suit claims Ward developed the most severe level of bed sore while staying at Oasis, which are categorized as affecting deep tissue and or having visible signs of infection. The suit also claims Ward developed an infestation of maggots in his oral cavity and oropharynx, along with a urinary tract infection and "other health problems and infections that ultimately led to sepsis and septic shock."
Ward was discharged the following October to two different hospitals before he began receiving palliative care from a hospice provider, according to the suit. He died about two weeks later, on Oct. 13, 2018.
The suit also claims medical records that were "lawfully requested" as evidence in the case were withheld for several months prior to the suit's filing.
Monica Cosma, the center's clinical nurse liaison and spokesperson, declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Oasis, which currently has an overall "below average" rating of two stars on Medicare.gov, has been a candidate for the state's Special Focus Facilities list for six months, according to the most recent list released last month by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The designation identifies nursing homes with the most health and safety citations, or which indicate a pattern of noncompliance with particular state standards.
According to the Medicare.gov Nursing Home Compare website, Oasis has been cited by state inspectors for 58 health and safety deficiencies since December 2016 and fined more than $114,000, the most of any nursing home in Mahoning and Trumbull counties during those three years.
White Oak Manor along Ridge Road in Warren was recently placed on the Special Focus Facilities list after spending three months as a candidate facility, Mahoning Matters reported earlier this month.
Court records do not yet list an attorney for the center, nor that the center has been served.
Calls to the attorneys representing Ward's estate were not returned Friday.
The case has been assigned to county Judge John Durkin.
The case marks the third wrongful death suit filed against a Youngstown nursing home in as many months.
Attorneys for Ohio Living Park Vista, 1216 Fifth Ave., have denied allegations brought in two wrongful death suits filed against the nursing home and its operator Ohio Living Communities within a month of each other. Both suits allege the deaths were caused by complications from severe bed sores the residents developed there.
A Nov. 6 medical malpractice complaint on behalf of former, six-year Vista resident Margaret Wright — filed by attorneys Brandon Dean and Joseph Laatsch of Akron — alleges Vista employees failed to follow a care plan to prevent the woman's skin breakdown, which ultimately became infected and resulted in sepsis.
Wright died June 23, 2018, as a result of those medical conditions, the suit states.
A separate wrongful death suit filed Dec. 4 by Cincinnati attorney Louis Schneider on behalf of former Vista resident Kathleen Sanderson alleges nursing home staff failed to diagnose and treat the woman's pressure sores, which became infected.
Sanderson died Dec. 8, 2018, according to the complaint.
In both cases, the nursing home's attorneys argued the residents' "injuries and damages, if any" were caused by things outside the nursing home's control, according to attorneys' responses to the complaints.
More than 60,000 people die each year due to complications from bed sores, according to a journal entry found in the U.S. National Library of Medicine, which was last updated in September.
"Unfortunately, despite awareness of the problem, the rates of pressure wounds remain high in long-term care facilities and nursing homes, where a lack of staff and optimal care is not always possible," the entry states.
This story was originally published February 24, 2020 at 3:52 AM with the headline "Lawsuit: Nursing home neglect led to death."