NURSING HOME RESIDENTS IN ‘IMMEDIATE JEOPARDY’

By Paul L eighton Staff Writer

DANVERS — State health inspectors have determined that conditions in the Hathorne Hill nursing home constitute “immediate jeopardy” to the health and safety of residents.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said Tuesday it is investigating the facility and has imposed a freeze on new admissions to Hathorne Hill until the investigation is completed. “DPH is working with the facility to ensure it is meeting its regulatory obligations to provide safe, quality care to residents,” the agency said in a statement.

DPH said the determination of immediate jeopardy was made following a “recertification survey” at Hathorne Hill from Nov. 14-20 and again on Dec. 4-5. The agency declined to release its inspection report or give specifics about what they found, citing the ongoing investigation.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which is responsible for federal oversight of nursing homes, “immediate jeopardy” represents a situation in which residents are at risk for “serious injury, serious harm, serious impairment or death” and requires “immediate corrective action.”

A spokesperson for Hathorne Hill characterized the problem as “an isolated issue” and said the company is “confident this will be resolved in a timely manner.”

“The health, safety, and quality of care of our patients and residents is our top priority at Hathorne Hill,” spokesperson Lori Mayer said in an email.

Hathorne Hill is a for-profit nursing home with 120 beds on Kirkbride Drive in Danvers. It has a three-star rating out of a possible

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Continued from Page A1 five stars on the federal Medicare Nursing Home Compare website, and a 117 score, one point above the state average, on the Massachusetts Health and Human Services nursing home rating website.

Hathorne Hill is owned by Genesis HealthCare, a Pennsylvania- based holding company that operates about 250 nursing homes.

Last week, Hathorne Hill came under criticism for holding a free raffle for people who give them a five-star Google review. The prize is a $480 KitchenAid Mixer.

Last year, Hathorne Hill was fined $8,648 after a nurse administered morphine to the wrong resident and failed to report the error to the nurse supervisor or physician, according to a state inspection report.

The facility was also cited in in October 2022 for an incident in which a certified nurse assistant refused to empty a resident’s ostomy bag and forced gloves onto the resident’s hands to do it him- or herself.

Mayer, the spokesperson, said Hathorne Hill was recently named a ”Best Nursing Home in the U.S.” by U.S. New & World Report, and also received a Silver Quality Award from the American Health Care Association.

Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-3382535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.

The Hathorne Hill nursing home in Danvers.

JAIME CAMPOS/Staff photo