Local News in Brief : State Files Suit Against Convalescent Hospital

Four patients were physically abused in incidents last year at Valley Palms Convalescent Hospital in North Hollywood, according to allegations made by the state Department of Health Services in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The lawsuit, filed in the name of state Director of Health Services Kenneth W. Kizer, also charges that, in another incident, the nursing home staff failed to promptly notify a physician of sharp deterioration in a patient’s condition.

Cases of physical abuse allegedly occurred on March 21 and 22, 1985. Patients identified only as Clara C., Alma B., William B. and Chaja P. were “physically abused” and suffered injuries to their arms or mouths, according to the lawsuit. In one of these incidents, the lawsuit says, Clara C. identified a nursing orderly as the man who hit her.

After an investigation, the state agency issued a citation and assessed an $8,000 civil penalty against the nursing home for failing to prevent such abuse, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed against Summit Care-California Inc., operator of Valley Palms Convalescent Hospital, also alleges that, at 12:20 p.m. on Dec. 31, 1984, a patient identified as Isaura C. was found to have an “extremely high” blood sugar level, but that the attending physician was not notified for more than two hours. The patient was then hospitalized in a coma.

The department issued a citation and assessed a $10,000 penalty in that incident. The nursing home operator waived its right to a citation review conference and “requested that review of the citation be deferred to Superior Court,” according to the lawsuit.

Summit-Care’s attorney could not be reached for comment on the lawsuit, which seeks affirmation of both citations and collection of the fines assessed by the state agency.