Pennsylvania's nursing home industry is calling for change after a nurse was implicated in 17 deaths at a nursing home in western Pennsylvania. Heather Presdy, 41, admitted to trying to kill 19 patients by overdosing on insulin. According to the criminal complaint, Presdy was working. He was in 12 hospitals and nursing homes over five years. Investigators said she either resigned or was fired from all of those positions. Zach Shamberg, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Association, said the law allows Presdy to keep his job even if he is suspected of causing harm. “And what was missed was the failure of the employer to share the red flags that they saw with the new employer,” Shamberg said. State inspection reports for the four nursing homes where Ms. Presdy allegedly harmed patients found no signs of problems while she worked there. There were warning signs at her two homes where she worked. At Bel Air Healthcare and Rehabilitation Facility, an inspection found the facility did not test patients for high blood sugar levels and did not notify doctors if patients had high blood sugar levels. . That led to the patient's death. Testing at Platinum Ridge Center, where Presdy worked, revealed that certain controlled substances were not accurately identified. But none of those discoveries hindered Presdy from her new work. ”The Pennsylvania Medical Association wants to put in place some kind of formal registration system, some kind of system that can alert caregivers who are unfit to work in a medical setting so that something like this doesn't happen again. “We are considering it,” Schanberg said. An application has been filed in Harrisburg to create such a registry.
Pennsylvania's nursing home industry is calling for change after a nurse was involved in the deaths of 17 people at a nursing home in western Pennsylvania.
Heather Presdy, 41, admitted trying to kill 19 patients by overdosing them with insulin.
According to the criminal complaint, Presdy worked at more than a dozen hospitals and nursing homes for five years. Those involved in her investigation said she either resigned or was fired from all of those positions.
Zach Shamberg, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Association, said the law allows people to get jobs even if they are suspected of harming Presdy.
“I think the key element here, and what was missed, was the employer's failure to share with potential new employers the red flags that they recognized,” Schanberg said. Told.
State inspection reports for the four nursing homes where Presdy allegedly harmed patients found no signs of problems while she worked there.
Two of the houses she worked at had warning signs.
At Belair Healthcare and Rehab, an inspection found the facility did not test patients for high blood sugar levels and did not notify doctors if patients had high blood sugar levels. That led to the patient's death.
Testing at Platinum Ridge Center, where Mr. Presdy worked, revealed that certain controlled substances were not accurately identified.
But none of these discoveries prevented Mr. Presdy from getting a new job.
“We at the Pennsylvania Medical Association want to put in place some kind of formal registration system, some kind of system that can alert caregivers who are unfit to work in a medical setting so that something like this doesn't happen again. “We've been looking into it,” Schanberg said.
A bill was introduced in Harrisburg to create such a registry.
