A pressure ulcer led to the death of Sam Frank Ray, a patient at the Arbors at Sylvania in Toledo, Ohio, according to a lawsuit filed by his family. The lawsuit alleges that staff failed to reposition Ray and take him to the toilet, leading to the development of a deadly infection.

Pattern of Neglect

This is not an isolated incident. Since January 2024, at least 11 plaintiffs have filed lawsuits against Arbors facilities in Ohio, accusing them of negligence or medical errors that caused patients’ deaths. State inspectors have also flagged patient deaths and treatment errors at Arbors homes.

The lawsuits and regulatory inspections paint a picture of care that ranges from poor to dangerous at times. The claims from alleged victims of Arbors’ care are similar, with families alleging that thin staffing led to falls and bedsores that caused patients’ deaths.

Regulatory Action

The Ohio Department of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have taken action against Arbors facilities. CMS has fined Arbors facilities on 18 occasions for a total of more than $648,000 since 2024. The Ohio Department of Health can also withhold future Medicaid reimbursement payments if facilities fail to remediate shortcomings.

Original reporting: Signal Akron — read the source article.