The Buffalo Center claims staffing is above the required level after the owner was fined $45 million in a settlement with the New York Attorney General.
Buffalo, NY – Dawn Easterling says he was shocked by the situation he was meeting his father for rehabilitation and nursing at the Buffalo Center during his recent visit.
“The whole building smells like a Porta toilet,” she told 2 to your side after visiting on Saturday, April 5th.
The New York State Department of Health gives a facility on the northwest corner of Delaware Avenue and West Utica Street a rating of two out of five stars for quality of care, with records showing that they have been fined several times over the past six years.
The facility is owned by a company that was fined late last year after a year's investigation by the New York State Attorney General's Office.
The Center's survey focused on four facilities across the state, including the Buffalo Center. Lack of personnel has been found to result in a lack of abuse and a lack of proper care for patients. This included forced residents to sit in their urine and feces for hours. The survey also found that the company's owner diverted more than $83 million in government funds into his investment.
In addition to the $45 million fine, Centre Healthcare agreed to increase staffing and reform at its facilities, as directed by an independent healthcare monitor.
But if any of them is happening at the Buffalo Center, it will come as a surprise to Easterling.
“The patient was just wandering. There was a gentleman walking around in the diaper, and the diaper was so saturated that he was walking around grabbing it with his hands,” she insisted.
As she proceeded towards her 71-year-old father's room, she noticed that his call light was on.
“He was only lying in the bed with diapers. I asked him what he needed. He needed breathing treatment so I waited a few minutes to see if the nurse would come. I went to the desk and waited for the nurse, but there was no one there at the nurse's station,” she said.
When she finally talks to someone, Easterling claims she was told by them that the facility was understaffed.
“I can understand that, but at the same time you run a healthcare facility and you need to have the right staffing and staff that really want to take care of the patients,” she said.
2 I contacted the Buffalo Center for comments on your side.
“We take all concerns seriously and investigate each claim. The Buffalo Center staffing level exceeds required standards, including the specific Saturday in question. No formal complaints were received that day,” said facility manager Izzy Levinson.
On a visit earlier this week, Easterling said things seemed to be improving. However, she says she is exploring other options for continued care of her father.
“He's out of there in some way. If I have to give him away, or if I have to take him home, he's leaving the facility,” she said.
