Jacksonville Injury Attorney Blog

Florida's Nursing Homes are regulated by the Agency for Health Care Admininstraction (AHCA). AHCA performs inpections of all nursing homes in the state and grades them from one to five stars.

Unfortunately, many nursing homes in the Jacksonville area have received only one or two stars. Jacksonville area facilities receiving only one star include: Harts Harbor Health Care Center; Lanier Manor; Riverwood Center; Signature Healthcare of Jacksonville; and Summer Brook Health Care Center.

Categories of inspections include: adequate housekeeping; proper treatment to prevent and heal pressure ulcers or bedsores; minimizing hazards for accidents including falls; medication error rates; physician review of resident care; appropriate infection control programs; and maintaining the dignity of residents.

To see AHCA's report on all of the nursing homes in the Jacksonville area go to http://apps.ahca.myflorida.com/nhcguide/ViewFacilityData.aspx?Region=04. Before allowing a loved one to stay in a nursing home, we recommend that you do a thorough investigation of the facility, including using the AHCA as one reference.

Continue reading " Jacksonville Nursing Homes Receving One out of Four Stars " »

Commitees of the Florida Senate and House have approved a proposal to allow a new 150 bed nursing home to be affiliated with Jacksonville University. The nursing home industry has objected to the proposal arguing that there are already many unfilled nursing home beds in the Jacksonville area.

The proposal woud allow more beds in the Jacksonville area despite a moratorium on adding new nursing home beds. In 2001, Florida lawmakers placed a moratorium on what are known as "certificates of need" for additional nursing home beds.

The proposed nursing home, through its affiliation with Jacksonville University, would provide a hands-on teaching forum to train its nursing students in geriatric and nursing home care. The result, of course, would be better educated and better trained nurses in Jacksonville and other parts of the state. In fact, Representative John Wood, who serves on the House committee, said the bill will improve standards in Florida's nursing home industry.

We applaud this effort by the Florida Legislature. Hopefully, the bill will become law. While many nursing homes provide excellent care, far too often we see situations where a nursing home's staff has not been properly educated or trained resulting in improper care, injuries or infections to residents.

The moratorium has been in effect since 2001, Since then, Florida's popluations has both increased and aged. It is hard to imagine that there are so many empty nursing home beds in the Jacksonville area that additional hands-on training is not worth the extra beds.

Continue reading " Florida Legislature Commitees Approve Proposal to Add a Jacksonville University Nursing Home " »

According to the Jacksonville Sherriff's Office, fatalities due to automobile accidents in Jacksonville dropped 15.6 percent from 2010 to 2011. In general, Jacksonville area car wrecks as a whole have dropped by 6.5 percent. At the same time, Jacksonville police officers issued fewer tickets while increasing the number of warnings given to drivers.

Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford said the increase in warnings, rather than citations, has contributed to the decrease in auto accident deaths. Experts attribute the decline to better technology road safety measures, increased seat belt useage, and people driving less due to the economy and high gasoline prices.

Jacksonville's statistics mirror a national trend of fewer highway deaths. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, as of 2010, the number of traffic fatalities were at an all-time low since 1949.

Still, traffic fatalities and crashes are all too common. In 2011, 103 people died in Jacksonville due to traffic accidents. Let's hope the trend continues. Getting texting while driving banned would certainly help.

Written by Elizabeth Allen

Continue reading " A Good Change: Fewer Car Accident Deaths on Jacksonville Roadways " »