The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has completed its investigation of neglect concerns at the Frazee Care Center in Frazee, Minnesota. A complaint was filed with the Department alleging a resident died of asphyxiation after a ventilator machine stopped working and the sole person on duty failed to respond to audible alarms. The Department investigated the matter and found that a ventilator alarm rang for 5 to 10 minutes before a licensed nurse found the resident dead and the tubing to the ventilator machine disconnected. The resident, who suffered from Lou Gehrig’s disease, was unable to speak and unable to reattach the tubing. The MDH determined that Frazee Care Center is responsible for neglect of the facility’s resident. [Case no. H5299003] In a 2013 survey of the facility, Frazee Care Center received an Immediate Jeopardy, the most serious violation a facility can receive, for this incident.
Medicare rates nursing homes, including this 74-bed nursing home facility. Medicare has assigned an overall rating to Frazee Care Center as a “much below average” facility. In addition, Medicare has assigned an overall rating to Frazee Care Center as a “much below average” facility based on the government’s health inspections of the facility. Among other things, Frazee Care Center has been cited for failing to give each resident enough fluids to keep them healthy and prevent dehydration, failing to have a program that investigates, controls and keeps infection from spreading, and failing to provide care by qualified persons according to each resident’s written plan of care.
The Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm represents clients in cases involving catastrophic injury, including asphyxiation, caused by nursing homes and other care facilities that fail to provide proper care. If you believe your loved one has been harmed due neglect or abuse in a nursing home, take action and contact the Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm online or call us toll-free at (877) 552-2873 to set up a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.
