Nursing home is fined after four residents test positive for taking cocaine

Nursing home is fined after four residents test positive for taking cocaine and are spotted passing a rolled up dollar bill to each other

  • Claims against RegalCare at New Haven that four residents used cocaine
  • One resident, after taking the opioid, was unresponsive and hospitalized
  • A patient claimed they got drugs from a nurse’s aide. The aide was later fired
  • Two other nursing homes were fined for poor treatment  
  • RegalCare was listed by the federal government as one of the nursing homes in the state 

Connecticut’s Department of Public Health has levied fines against three nursing homes, including one in New Haven where four patients were found to have taken cocaine.

RegalCare in New Haven was cited for $1,680 in fines after patients tested positive for cocaine. 

And in one case, a resident claimed they got the drugs from a nurse’s aide. 

In April 2018, the DPH stated that a resident was seen handing a dollar bill with white powder on it to another resident. That patient who received the cocaine had a opioid dependency. 

A physician ordered the resident’s room to be searched daily over the next few days, but searches reportedly only took place twice.   

Two weeks after the first resident was spotted with cocaine, another resident was found on the floor with a large hematoma, and was unresponsive for two minutes, the News Times said.

At the hospital that patient tested positive for cocaine and opiates. A physician’s order on May 16 called for the resident’s room to be searched daily for three days, but records indicate staffers did not check the room on May 17. 

RegalCare at New Haven levied fines of over $1,600 after four residents were doing cocaine

A day later there was another incident involving cocaine at the same New Haven facility. 

RegalCare received a call from a methadone clinic saying a different resident tested positive for cocaine, according to the Department of Public Health. 

That resident stated they got the white powder from another resident, who in turn claimed they got the drugs from a nurse’s aide.

The aide was later fired. 

The facility was fined by the Connnecticut Department of Health for negligence

The facility was fined by the Connnecticut Department of Health for negligence 

St. Camillus Center in Stamford was fined more than $6,400 for failing to give proper care

St. Camillus Center in Stamford was fined more than $6,400 for failing to give proper care 

Two other nursing homes in Connecticut are also under the microscope. 

Stamford’s St. Camillus Center was fined $6,420 for negligence after a resident at risk for skin breakdown was found to have stage 2 and stage 3 pressure ulcers on their heels on May 30, News Times reported.  

‘St. Camillus Center is committed to providing high-quality care to our patients and residents,” spokeswoman Lori Mayer told the News Times. ‘Unfortunately, we did receive a citation from the Department of Public Health earlier this year. Since that time, we provided additional staff education and training, and submitted a plan of correction to the state. At this time, we are in compliance with state and federal regulations.’ 

Mystic Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center was assessed more than $7,000 for multiple violations regarding its care for residents, News Times said. In one cited example, a resident with psychosis and anxiety fell 14 times without accompaniment, between March 2018 and January 2019. The resident suffered injuries on several occasions, the worst being a left femur fracture that required surgery in January.    

In May, RegalCare was listed as one of the worst nursing homes in the state by the federal government.  Mystic Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center had the best rating of five stars. 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk