Lang
10/22/23
A Williamsburg nursing home resident died after waiting nine hours for medical attention.
That’s according to state inspection records obtained by Iowa Capitol Dispatch. The report claims that at 9:45 p.m. on June 2nd a nursing aide at Highland Ridge Care Center found a female resident on her floor with an alarming amount of blood on her pajamas, on the floor, in her hair, and covering her body. There was so much blood, the woman required a shower to determine the source.
Instead of calling for an ambulance, staff allegedly placed the woman back into bed with no pain medication. One Highland Ridge staffer told investigators that the woman was in the fetal position, shaking all night. But the on-duty overnight nurse reportedly claimed the woman showed a full range of motion and had no complaints about pain after the accident.
The woman was finally taken to a hospital at 6:30 the next morning after complaining of pain in her arm. Doctors determined the woman had suffered a laceration on her head as well as fractures in her arm, leg and hip.
The woman was then transferred to a larger hospital. She died on June 12th.
The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing has proposed fining Highland Ridge a total of $26,000. Those fines are on hold while federal inspectors consider their own penalties.