CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Lakewood man, former nursing home manager, pleads to endangering residents

Asbury Park Press - 6/3/2021

A Lakewood man who managed a nursing home in Darby, Pennsylvania, pleaded no contest Wednesday to endangering three residents who died as a result of the understaffing of the facility, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said.

Chaim “Charlie” Steg, 40, the former regional operations director of St. Francis Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare, pleaded to three counts of recklessly endangering another person. Under the plea agreement, he will be sentenced to six to 23 months of house arrest followed by three years probation and will be required to pay $15,000 in restitution to the families of the victims, the Office of the Attorney General said.

His probation also prohibits him from staffing, managing, owning or operating the nursing, clinical or medical services of a skilled nursing facility for five years, officials said.

The victims suffered conditions including sepsis, pressure wounds, dehydration and bowel obstructions prior to their deaths in 2017. An investigation by the Attorney General’s Office had evidence that these conditions were a result of “systemic failures” in the facility caused by inadequate staffing.

More: Marlboro man admits bribing doctors and defrauding IRS at family pharmacy

The investigation also found that Steg ignored multiple warnings from his employees about how the nursing home’s staffing problems were endangering the residents, according to officials.

“Every resident of every nursing home deserves to be safe, they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity and they deserve to be heard,” Shapiro said in a statement. “It is the law to uphold the obligation to keep residents safe. If a facility cuts staff to the point that they can’t give residents the care they need – we’re going to find out and we’re going to hold them accountable.”

A grand jury heard from 22 witnesses Wednesday who testified that they attempted to persuade Steg to fix staffing issues. A former director of nursing admitted to disobeying Steg’s orders to reduce staff so that she could “sleep at night”, according to the Pennsylvani attorney general’s office.

A former staffing coordinator testified that the nursing home was understaffed on a daily basis and that she regularly received complaints from employees and family members of the residents, authorities said.

Lakewood: Lakewood man and nephew indicted by grand jury in 2019 Howell murder

The investigation started in 2017 after Mercy Catholic Medical Center contacted the Delaware County Office of Services for the Aging and reported the poor condition of multiple residents who were transferred from St. Francis. The Attorney General’s office then received referrals from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Darby Borough Police Department to open an investigation.

The Attorney General’s Office has also agreed to a settlement with the two business entities associated with the nursing home. Under the agreement, 1412 Lansdowne Operating LLC – the operator of the facility – and Catholic Facilities Operating LLC – which paid Steg’s salary – will pay $600,000 into an escrow account for the care of St. Francis residents and $100,000 to the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly.

The settlement also requires the nursing home to maintain an increased minimum staffing level and undergo quarterly audits by the Department of Health.

Nicolas Fernandes is the early morning breaking news reporter. A lifelong New Jersey resident, he has previously worked as a features writer and sports reporter. Contact him at 732-540-4401 or nfernandes@gannettnj.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Lakewood man, former nursing home manager, pleads to endangering residents

___

(c)2021 the Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.)

Visit the Asbury Park Press (Neptune, N.J.) at www.app.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Nationwide News