In the wake of Hurricane Ida, reports of several instances of nursing home negligence and abuse have begun to surface across Southeast Louisiana. Whether these are related to poor contingency planning, poor plan execution, or individual cases of carelessness, each case is uniquely tragic. Many of those impacted across the region are now calling for accountability for those responsible.
Most egregious of these resulted in the deaths of seven residents from seven New Orleans area nursing homes. Over 800 residents had been evacuated to a warehouse in advance of Hurricane Ida’s landfall to shelter. However, these evacuees arrived to find a facility with minimal necessary supplies and equipment.
After landfall of the hurricane backup generators failed, trash piled up, and the quality of care quickly declined to shockingly poor levels of standards. According to CNN, over 30 separate phone calls were made requesting emergency assistance to the evacuation facility in Independence for medical episodes ranging from heart attacks to seizures, and more.
All nursing homes involved in this mass evacuation failure have since had their nursing home licenses revoked by Louisiana state health officials. The nursing homes effected are:
- Maison DeVille Nursing Home of Harvey, Jefferson Parish
- Maison DeVille Nursing Home, Terrebonne Parish
- Maison Orleans Healthcare Center, Orleans Parish
- Park Place Healthcare Nursing Home, Jefferson Parish
- River Palms Nursing and Rehab, Orleans Parish
- South Lafourche Nursing and Rehab, Lafourche Parish
- West Jefferson Health Care Center, Jefferson Parish
While the state is now taking some action and the Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser has promised changes based on this tragedy, it will not undo the damage that has been done or the lives that have been lost. If you have been impacted by abuse or death of a loved one related to nursing home abuse or negligence, you may be eligible to seek damages.
According to Nola.com, four lawsuits related to nursing home negligence and abuse related to Hurricane Ida and it’s aftermath have already been filed in Jefferson Parish. For your free case consultation, call the seasoned lawyers with the Morris Bart law firm. Our consultations are always free of charge and you will be able to speak to an attorney about your case and learn more about what legal options may be available to you. Call (504) 613-4771 today.