Court-appointed receiver assumes control of Pawtucket nursing home

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (WLNE) –A court-appointed receiver has assumed control of a nursing home in Pawtucket, according to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office.

Attorney General Peter Neronha said Monday that a Superior Court judge appointed Mark Russo as receiver of the Pawtucket Falls Healthcare Center.

Neronha said the legal action comes after months of regulatory action by the Department of Health related to health and safety concerns at the nursing home.

The attorney general’s office and the Department of Health look to “safeguard” residents by making sure they continue to receive “skilled nursing facility level of care,” said Neronha. The nursing facility agreed to the petition.

“Over the past seven months, a pattern of health and safety issues has emerged at Pawtucket Falls. We have tried to help the facility stabilize and create a secure environment for the people who call Pawtucket Falls home,” Dr. Utpala Bandy, interim director of the Department of Health, said in part in a release. “However, in the interest of resident safety, receivership is necessary at this time.”

The receivership, said Neronha, will provide additional court oversight and control over the facility. He said there’s no sign at this time that the nursing intends on closing.

Last year, after receiving a complaint, the Department of Health conducted an unexpected inspection at the facility. Since then, said Neronha, health officials conducted 11 surveys and inspections.

As a result, the Department of Health issued a compliance order to Pawtucket Falls in February and April of this year.

Neronha said the facility did make some improvements in the quality of patient care. However, he said concerns about the long-term stability of the nursing home’s operations prompted this petition for receivership — which is funded by the current owners of Pawtucket Falls.

The nursing home has about 80 residents and 154 beds.