CDPH Fines L.A. Nursing Home

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has fined Country Villa Los Feliz Nursing Home in Los Angeles $75,000 in connection with the 2014 death of a resident who had fallen. The resident was using a walker to approach a snack cart when she fell and hit her head. She died in an acute care hospital that same day.

            The CDPH report concluded that the resident – who had poor vision, was taking numerous medications and was unsteady -- had had a long history of falls, and that Country Villa Los Feliz had not done enough to prevent them. That included the removal of potential obstacles to the resident's movement, ongoing monitoring of her blood pressure and serving of snacks and other foods to her directly, although the resident had often insisted on retrieving them herself. Country Villa Los Feliz's management agreed to a corrective plan of action, including identifying patients at risk for falls and distributing food to them directly.

            The fine also included a AA citation, the most severe the CDPH can issue under state law.