BUFFALO, N.Y. — The New York State Attorney General is suing the operators of four nursing homes, including one in Buffalo.
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against four New York nursing home operators for neglect and harm of residents.
The four nursing homes are owned and operated by Centers for Care LLC, doing business as Centers Health Care. This includes Beth Abraham Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing (Beth Abraham Center) in Bronx County, Buffalo Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing (Buffalo Center) in Erie County, Holliswood Center for Rehabilitation and Healthcare (Holliswood Center) in Queens County, and Martine Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing (Martine Center) in Westchester County.
Nursing home residents are said to have been forced to sit in their own waste and suffered from dehydration and malnutrition.
“Nursing homes are meant to be safe spaces where the most vulnerable members of our community receive the care and dignity they deserve. Instead, the owners of Centers Health Care allegedly used these four nursing homes — and the vulnerable New Yorkers who lived there — to extract millions of dollars for their personal use, leading to elderly residents and those with disabilities suffering unconscionable pain, neglect, degradation, and even death,” said James.
“Rather than honor their legal duty to residents to provide the highest possible quality of life, Centers leadership, and their associates seized every opportunity to put personal profit over resident care. My office will always protect and defend nursing home residents statewide, and I encourage anyone who has witnessed disturbing conditions, neglect, or abuse at a New York nursing home to contact my office.”
A lawsuit alleges the owners, operators, and landlords of the nursing home were involved in a scheme to take money from the nursing home while they violated many laws. All of this resulted in harm to vulnerable New Yorkers.
The companies named in the lawsuit are Abraham Operations Associates LLC, Delaware Operations Associates LLC, Hollis Operating Co. LLC, and Schnur Operations Associates LLC, doing business as Beth Abraham Center, Buffalo Center, Holliswood Center, and Martine Center, respectively. These companies are owned by Rozenberg. Also named are Light Property Holdings Associates LLC (Light Property), Delaware Real Property Associates LLC (Delaware Property), Hollis Real Estate Co. LLC (Hollis Real Estate), and Light Property Holdings II Associates LLC (Light Property II), which own the property where the nursing homes were located.
One of the allegations that the AG's Office mentions is a man who went to visit his father who had dementia and was staying at the Buffalo Center. On the man's way there he was a man who "looked like a zombie or a ghost" who was wandering down the street. When the son arrived to visit his father, the staff made him wait, and when they finally brought his father out he realized that it was his father he had passed on his way in.
His father was taken to the hospital and was suffering from severe dehydration, and he had gotten out without the staff noticing. He was transferred to a new nursing home after only three weeks at the facility.
On Wednesday, 1199SEIU responded to the lawsuit with this statement:
“We commend Attorney General Letitia James for her focus on quality of care for nursing home residents and investigating the schemes of nursing home owners who enrich themselves at the expense of vulnerable residents and hardworking caregivers,” said Yvonne Armstrong, 1199SEIU Executive Vice-President for Long Term Care.
“As a healthcare union, we condemn any misuse of funds intended for resident care.
1199SEIU members in Western New York take care of the most vulnerable in our community in sometimes difficult conditions and with limited resources. Taxpayer funds must support resident well-being, including proper staffing to ensure the quality care residents deserve.
The remedies outlined in the NY Attorney General’s lawsuit send a strong message to all operators in New York State, and we fully support those remedies,” said Grace Bogdanove, 1199SEIU Vice-President for WNY Nursing Homes.