SanStone , Dr Larry Joe Russell

When you think of Christmas, you have to think of family. You have to have memories of your childhood, and most of all your parents. This Christmas was different from those of the past. Mom died November 3, 2011, last year was the first Christmas without her . Traditions were gone, and I was not exactly sure how to start new ones.
Mom's house always meant food and lots of people. There were all the children running around opening gifts, random hugs from family and friends. There was a feeling that you belonged there, and that no matter what was happening in your life, it was all ok. No one was ever in a hurry to leave after the meal, or the gift exchange. We were a family.
This year, my family and I went to Florida on Christmas Day. Home just didn't feel right to me. There was something missing, and I could not seem to get in the spirit of the season. I hope my wife and two sons understand what was wrong with me. Mom was gone, and I just wanted to run away, I felt if we were somewhere else, it might be better.
 My Mom loved Florida, she loved the beaches, the different cultures and the food. As I made the drive, memories of my Mom, and my childhood passed through my mind. Special times crammed into the car with my brother and sisters. Always a new adventure to be had.
I am now responsible for my family's Christmas memories. My hope is that I can do half as good as my parents. I promise my family, that next year will be different. I will never forget my Mom, or Dad ,and  I will do my best to honor them both.
I will continue to do whatever I can to expose the terrible things that happen at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation.  Dr. Larry Joe Russell will always be on my radar. Sooner or later, people will realize what you are doing. I will not stop looking until you are exposed! That's my promise to you in honor of my Mom.
  February 2, 1935 - November 3, 2011

Corruption: Impairment of integrity, virtue , or moral principle.
Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, SanStone, and Dr. Larry Joe Russell. Has your integrity, virtue, or moral principal been impaired?
 

Hendersonville Health and Rehab, Pardee Hospital, Mountain Home Health and Rehab, Life Care Center of Hendersonville, Park Ridge Health, Brian Center of Hendersonville, Universal Health Care of Fletcher, The Laurels of Hendersonville, Sunnybrook Assisted Living, Carolina Village Medical Center, Carolina Village Care Center, and Elizabeth House of Hendersonville.
Dr. Larry Joe Russell of Hendersonville North Carolina signed death certificates of residents at all of these facilities this year. The majority of them show the cause of death as, "Failure to Thrive".
Hendersonville Health and Rehab and Mountain Home Health and Rehab, are close in number for the top of the list.
I found one death certificate for a "patient" of  Dr. Russell's, that listed the cause of death as "Failure to thrive". However for some reason, Dr. Harold Poston (one of the medical examiners at Pardee Hospital) amended the cause of death. According to Dr. Poston the "patient", died from a cerebral hemorrhage, as the result of a fall. I wonder how Larry Joe missed that one?? I spoke to Dr. Poston when Mom died, his reply to me was, " I'm not going to get involved in this".Wait a minute Dr. Poston, isn't that your job?? If someone suspects that the cause of death is not as stated, shouldn't you "get involved" ? If so, there wouldn't be so many of Dr. Russell's patients," failing to thrive".
But wait Dr. Poston, if you actually did your job, Larry Joe and his buddies may not contribute to Pardee Hospital's yearly golf tournament!
Maybe if he actually saw the bodies of his "patients" that die, he may actually know what killed them! I guess if they get dropped or fall at Hendersonville Health and Rehab, that would directly affect his income. Larry Joe is listed on the Securities and Exchange Commission as one of the shareholders of Hendersonville Health and Rehab. That may have something to do with the long list of people who fail to thrive there. If they were being dropped by the nursing staff, or they are falling due to the fact that no one is helping them to the bathroom, that would be bad for business.
I strongly suggest that if Dr. Russell signed the death certificate of one of your relatives, ask questions. Ask if a nurse dropped them, or ask if they might have taken a little fall, that didn't bear mentioning by the nurse on duty! This kind of thing happens, a lot more than you could imagine.
I have copies of thirty four death certificates signed by Dr. Russell, twenty of those have " failure to thrive" listed as cause of death. Five at Hendersonville Health and Rehab, four at Mountain Home health and Rehab, two at Lifecare Center of Hendersonville, one at The Laurels of Hendersonville, one at Park Ridge Health, two at Sunnybrook Assisted living, one at Carolina Village, one at Universal Health Care in Fletcher, and one at The Brian Center of Hendersonville.
Really!!!
       Dr. Poston and the rest of the medical examiners at Pardee Hospital. Do you see a pattern here??

This article exemplifies the AAFP 2004 Annual Clinical Focus on caring for America’s aging population.

 In elderly patients, failure to thrive describes a state of decline that is multifactorial and may be caused by chronic concurrent diseases and functional impairments. Manifestations of this condition include weight loss, decreased appetite, poor nutrition, and inactivity. Four syndromes are prevalent and predictive of adverse outcomes in patients with failure to thrive: impaired physical function, malnutrition, depression, and cognitive impairment. Initial assessments should include information on physical and psychologic health, functional ability, socioenvironmental factors, and nutrition. Laboratory and radiologic evaluations initially are limited to a complete blood count, chemistry panel, thyroid-stimulating hormone level, urinalysis, and other studies that are appropriate for an individual patient. A medication review should ensure that side effects or drug interactions are not a contributing factor to failure to thrive. The impact of existing chronic diseases should be assessed. Interventions should be directed toward easily treatable causes of failure to thrive, with the goal of maintaining or improving overall functional status. Physicians should recognize the diagnosis of failure to thrive as a key decision point in the care of an elderly person. The diagnosis should prompt discussion of end-of-life care options to prevent needless interventions that may prolong suffering.

Sanstone , Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, Dr. Larry Joe Russell.
 I often sit and wonder what Mike Deloach, Chris Sprenger, and Larry Joe Russell, are doing at a certain point in time. I am sitting here thinking about my mother. I am thinking about how much I miss her. I am thinking about the impact of her loss and how it affects my entire family. Mom was the glue that held the family together. As I sit here, I have one sister that I have not spoken to in at least six months. There are grand children and great grandchildren, that are missing their grandma or great grandma. There are the five of us brothers and sisters , that are missing their Mother.
I'm pretty sure, that the Sprengers, Mike Deloach, and Larry Joe, couldn't recognize my Mother if she walked right past them. They don't care. As they gather with their respective families, to celebrate Christmas, I wonder if they think about all the deceased, that passed through their homes. I wonder if they have any conscious at all.
My family and I will celebrate Christmas this year, as we always do. the only exception, is that Mom wont be there, hings will not be the same. They will never be the same again.
I read an obituary today in the Times News. I'm pretty sure it was the relative of friends of someone I work with. The family was having problems with the care she was receiving at a local nursing home. I tried to reach them while she was still alive, because after they die, no one cares
I assure everyone, I care. I am here to make a difference. I know that my Mother is gone. I know I cant bring her back, no matter what. I also know as long as these crooks are allowed to prosper, things will never change.
 I need your help. If you know of any abuse or mistreatment of our seniors, I need you! You can help me change the way our seniors are treated in the future. Trust me, after they are gone, there is nothing you can do. The living have a voice, that must be heard. Please comment or feel free to call me at 828-808--6343. As a group we can change things, if we try. My Mother did not die, just to make these bastards richer.

NC Medical Board , Of course they found no reason to validate my complaint.
If Dr. Russell was as good at practicing medicine as he is lying, a whole lot of people would still be alive!!
Seems that after my initial inquiry into the cause of My mothers death, Dr. Russell discovered several reasons for my Mother to die! When I spoke to Dr. Russell, he failed to mention to me any of the causes he states to the NC Medical Board . Nor did he mention any of them on the death certificate!
I guess when I questioned his diagnosis, he went and did some research. I don't think he actually ever even saw my Mother. I suppose he did his research enough to pick what he knew would get him off the hook with the medical Board. He's not about to get off the hook with me.
If he had been there and seen my mother lying there dead on that table, I don't think he would have known who she was. I guess to him they all look alike!
Dr. Larry Joe Russell is nothing more than a parasite. He is making his fortune, signing death certificates, for patients he more than likely hasn't even seen. I have copies of so many death certificates he has signed, they wont fit in a folder. I had to get a filing cabinet ! Seems most of Dr. Russell's  patients " fail to thrive ", while Dr. Larry Joe is thriving beyond belief.
This scumbag is the kind of person, nobody will stand behind, when it hits the fan. It will hit the fan sooner or later, and the truth will come out.
Was Dr. Russell your doctor, or did he sign your loved one's death certificate. If so I would ask questions, did they fall? Were they dropped? Were they given the wrong medicine? I would say there's a 50 % chance either way! Are you willing to gamble with your life, or your parents life? If so Dr. Russell's your guy! You have better odds of winning the lottery!
Please excuse my bitterness, but I believe, if my Mother had never seen the inside of Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation or Dr. Larry Joe Russell, she would be here for Christmas. If this man is your doctor, make sure you have a will!!

Lara Mooney LPN, Susan Habel RN, "Cookie" Maude Romeo, and Jennifer Thomas. These are all  people who used to work for Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation . Along with Dr. Larry Joe Russell, they are also people that know what really happened to my Mother.
The following is a list of agencies that I  have contacted for assistance. Each one has basically dismissed my concerns. I have provided information and details to each of these agencies, concerning resident safety at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation.
The NCDHHS, The NC Medical Board, The NC Board of Nursing,the NC Board of Pharmacy, Margret Pardee Hospital, and the NC State Medical Examiners Office.
All of the agencies listed, with the exception of the Medical Examiners Office, totally ignored my concerns. Of course they all did their " investigations ", and found nothing wrong. Really!!!
I have limited access to information concerning what happened to my Mother at Hendrsonville Health and Rehabilitation, but what I have scares the hell out of me. Any one of the authorities listed above has access to a lot more than I do. They also have an obligation to the public to govern the individuals involved. It is obvious to me that none of them have any intention of doing their job.
The public has to get involved. If you have any concerns or information concerning these issues, please comment, or get me your contact information.

Dr. Larry Joe Russell, of Hendersonville NC. According to the Hendersonville Times News, was the one who orchestrated the purchase of The Pardee care Center. The facility was owned by Henderson County and Margret Pardee Hospital. According to the Times News, Pardee got the money, ( over eight milloin dollars) for the sale. According to the paper, Pardee could not run the facility without losing money.
The paper said that Hendersonville Physicians and Associates were the buyers. This in itself is not totally true. There are plenty of other people who have their hands in the cookie jar. Most of them are not even local. According to the reviews, and what the locals say, the level of care is no where near what it was before.
I have been researching Dr. Russell for some time now, and I am alarmed at how many patients he must see in one day. He is, or was the medical director at The Laurels, in Hendersonville. He is also the main provider of " care " to many of the patients at most of the local nursing homes. According to what I can find, Dr Russell is a provider at : Pine Park, Beystone, The Laurels, Mountain Home Health and Rehab, Universal Healthcare, The Brian Center, Carolina Village, and most of the nursing homes in Henderson County. If a patient comes in to one of these facilities for rehab, or does not have an admitting Doctor, seems like you get Dr. Russell.
I have been doing research at the Henderson County Courthouse, and have copies of many death certificates signed by Larry Joe. Apparently, according to what I can tell, a good percentage of Larry Joe's patients die from " Failure To Thrive ". I looked that up, and it is most commonly used in pediatric instances of death. It also seems to be a sufficient reason to die, if you are older than sixty, and have Dr. Russell as your doctor!
 My guess is that when a patient of Dr. Russells dies, he just pulls that out of his hat. If he actually saw his " patients " he may have more knowledge of their cause of death. But as you know, "old people die ". Most people dont even question the cause, they just take for granted that the doctors are honest. I question the real cause of death, and find it alarming, that the people who file these death certificates dont see anything unusual. The books of death certificates that I looked at, appeared to be written by Larry Joe Russell, with some entries by other authors.
If someone you love is in a nursing home, or dies, ask questions, review records, make tham accountable for what they do. If you or anyone you know, has any suspicions that someone they care about, was mistreated or died of something other than what they say, message me and I can tell you what to do. Lets stop them from just letting people die!!!

Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and the NCDHHS never cease to impress me with their arrogance, and ignorance!
This morning I called Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and asked to speak to someone about obtaining a copy of the nurse staffig schedules. I was told I needed to speak to a certain person, and that person was in a meeting. I left my name, and was told she would call me back after the meeting. To my surprise by this afternoon, I had still not heard from that person. I calld Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and was passed off to Lori Garren, assistant director of nursing. I told her that I would like a copy of the nurse staffing and the occupancy, during Mom's stay. Ms. Garren asked me who I represented? I told her I represented my dead Mother! She continued to tell me that they were not required to share that information to the public!!
I knew better, because I had recently read an article saying that they have to post that information every day in a public place at the facility. The article also said that they had to provide that information to anyone requesting it, ( even the public )by mail or phone. The records must be kept for eighteen months.
I then called the NCDHSR, and asked them if it was required for Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation to provide me the information. The person I was speaking with said no! I proceeded to tell her that I read the article, and it was a law, she still said no! I insisted, so she asked her boss, Rita Horton if it was required. Ms. Horton told her it was not required. I left a message on Rita Horton's voicemail leaving my number. Two hours later, she called me back. I asked her if there was such a law or not? Ms. Horton told me then that there was such a law, and gave me the statute! She asked me if I wanted to file a complaint. I did so on the phone, and she told me that sometimes they can make a call to the facility.
I then called Lori Garren at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and told her the statute and the number. Ms Garren then informed me that she was not the person I needed to talk to. Paul Shogren, the administrator was the person, who would handle that sort of thing. I reminded Ms Lori Garren, that I had left my number for Mr. Paul Shogren, and he had not called. She said " I gave him your number" and hung up.
I was somewhat surprised, and extremely amused, when I recieved a call from none other than Lori Garren. Ms Garren informed me that I could come pick up the records tomorrow!! They are so arrogant, they think I will back down when they act like they are right! "Read the laws you idiots" cause rest assured, I do!!
If something happens at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation  or any nursing home, to someone you care about, dont give up. They will lie to you, they will change doccuments, they even have a cozy little arrangement with Pardee Hospital. Even the NCDHSR that oversees them is on their Christmas list. You cant bring someone back from the dead, but , you can do everything in your power to keep them from getting there!!

SanStone Health, (Dr.)Larry Joe Russell, Christopher Sprenger, Michael Deloach. How much is a persons life worth to you? Do you ever wonder about the families of the people you let die in your facilities? How many lives would be saved by simply adding one CNA and one Nurse to each shift? Is it possible that you could still make money, actually taking care of your residents.
 I read an article today that was talking about how profitable nursing homes were. They were saying how hospitals were actually buying nursing homes for the profit being made. Makes me wonder, what was Pardee Hospital thinking when they sold the Pardee Care Center to a bunch of hustlers like you. Was there more to this deal than meets the eye?
How can anyone just stand there and watch people die? Do you dream about all the deceased that could have been saved if there was just one more nurse on duty? My guess is that you dont even see these residents as people. I imagine that you see them as dolllars adding up in your bank accounts.
I'm not sure what kind of moron was running this facility for Margret Pardee Hospital before they sold it to you, but someone must have been skimming somewhere.
These types of places turn huge profits. If they didn't, why did Pardee Hospital have so many bidders. Who would invest over eight million dollars on something that is not going to make money? Kind of sounds a little strange to me. Maybe the Henderson County Comissioners had some sort of "special incentive" to sell the property.
Maybe ???

NC Board of Nursing, NC Medical Board, NC DHHS, NC State Medical Examiners Office, all turn their heads while the wealthy owners of nursing homes, stand by and let people die. Sometimes according to the news, they even help people die. There are documented cases of these things happening. Apparently, they don't deserve to be mentioned on their Medicare.gov website.
Nursing homes have no fear of being disciplined because they own the politicians, at all levels.
Example, Majesty Health and Rehabilitation, in Easley SC. In June of 2012, the air conditioner went out in one of the wings. One of their residents died from excessive heat. According to Medicare.gov, they have not been penalized, or fined in the last three years. Is this an example of corruption, It sure seems funny to me, no penalties. Really!!!!!
Here is the link to the page:
http://www.medicare.gov/NursingHomeCompare/compare.aspx#cmprTab=0&cmprID=425018&stsltd=%20SC&loc=Easley%2C%20SC&lat=34.829838&lng=-82.60152060000001
Click on the penalties tab and see for yourself. Then click on the surveys and inspections tab, try to read what happened. They let a person die from the heat, they did not move the residents to the dining area or anywhere else they had air conditioning. They brought in fans! Here's one of the stories from the local media.
http://www2.wspa.com/news/2012/nov/15/3/report-nursing-home-ar-4971637/
Can you believe they were not penalized by the NCDHHS? This home is owned by people that could surly afford to do something other than bring in fans and wet towels. This is an example of how little regard they have for human life. If this doesn't bother you, something is wrong.
This is an example of the kind of horror stories I have been reading for months. It happens all over. The people that own these homes are raking in the money. They are not being watched, and as you all know, "old people die". Things need to change, that's what this is about. Get involved now, don't wait till they kill someone you love. Comment, and I will tell you how to help.

Sanstone Health, Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and Dr. Larry Joe Russell. Just when you thought I had gone away, here I am again.
Thanksgiving, this time last year it was hard to feel thankful. Mom died on November 3,2011, the day she was supposed to be discharged. The family had gathered just weeks before for her funeral. The reality that Mom was not coming home from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, was starting to sink in. My wife, two sons and I were headed to Atlanta to spend the holiday with my youngest sister and her family. It was a change from the usual family gathering at Moms, but she was gone and the family had been fragmenting since her death. We enjoyed the visit, and although Mom was gone we, still had lots to be thankful for.
This year as I am sitting here getting ready for the trek from Hendersonville to Atlanta. I am thinking of all the things I am thankful for. The thing I am most thankful for is that God blessed me with two wonderful parents.
Growing up was far from perfect, but my parents always loved us all. We were taught the value of hard work and honesty, but most of all we were taught not to give up. Mom had always worked in law offices, so we knew a lot about our rights. Pop had been in prison when we were young, so we also knew a lot about the consequences of breaking the law. Both of my parents are gone now, but neither are forgotten.
 Consequences , thats what this is all about. Sanstone Health, Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and Dr. Larry Joe Russell. There are consequences for what you are doing. The NCDHHS may not care how you operate, but rest assured someone does . Until I find them I will continue to post on this blog, and keep writing letters and making phone calls. I will not go away.

SanStone, NCDHHS, NC Board of Nursing, NC Medical Board, NC State Medical Examiners Office.

I voted, I know this doesn't really cause any concern to any of the above listed agencies. They are protected by the corrupt politicians that are controlled by the very people they work for. 

It should cause them some concern, because I intend to be a constant source of aggravation to these people in political office. I intend to research all the winners and inform the public where their money came from.

The healthcare industry is a major political contributor and has great influence in the political arena. I am not saying , that all politicians are in someones pocket, well maybe I am. The cost of getting elected these days is well beyond the reach of the average citizen. So when you vote, consider where your candidate gets their money. Does their sponsorship affect your life in a negative or positive fashion.
 I know the decision Mom made to have the surgery, was mostly based on her fear of what would happen to medicare. That decision, eventually cost her her life. 

When you vote, consider if the people you are voting for would care if you live or die? Are they really there to serve the public, or are they there to serve the people who contribute the most to getting them elected? I am sure there are a small number of people who are running for office who intend to do good.
I'm not sure they will be able to accomplish anything without compromising their integrity, and beliefs. 

Americans live in fear of politicians. We can't do anything without first getting permission from some local or national agency. What are you getting for your vote? Are you getting freedom? Are you getting your voice heard? I propose that you are getting very little if anything for your vote, that is unless you are a major shareholder in one of the big corporations that own our government.
When you vote, make it count. Democrat or Republican, makes no difference. Vote for the one who will do the best for our country, town, school board, or whatever. Just hold them accountable for the promises they make.
Lets all hope that this time next year, we're not sitting in the woods somewhere, hiding and hoping to catch something slower than us, for dinner. Or hoping the wealthy hunters don't find us. Hunger Games anyone ?

  

Mom died one year ago today. It's still hard to comprehend, how someone who was doing so well, would just stop breathing.
The doctor who signed her death certificate, Larry Joe Russell, told me his reason for the cause of death, was Mom's declining health. Then he backed up and said " no wait, your Mom was getting better. Then hewent on to say something about her age (76), and several different health conditions, that Mom did not have.
No one has yet been able to offer any explanation as to what might have caused this sudden unexpected death. "Old people die" I've heard that more than you can imagine! I know life is not promised to us. We are not guranteed tomorrow. That still does not answer the questions surrounding Mom's death.
I am not a radical extreme type of person. I am fairly reasonable, but when things dont add up, I need to find out why.
All of the people who could have helped determine what happened, have ignored my concerns. The NCDHHS, NC State Medical Board, NC State medical examiners office, NC Board of Nursing, Pardee Hospital, and the people at Hendersnville Health and Rehabilitation.
This morning, we are going to meet at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, in honor of Mom.
Help make a difference, if someone tells you that "old people die" dont just accept that. Ask questions and get the truth if you can. Hold these places accountable for their actions, or lack of actions!
What do you consider "old".

North Carolina Medical Board, NC Board of Nursing, NC Board of Pharmacy, NCDHHS, Pardee Hospital, SanStone. Maybe they all need to read this.
State Statute 1320a - 7b
Title 42 The Public Health and Welfare
(c) False statements or representations with respect to condition or operation of institutions. Whoever knowingly and willfully makes or causes to be made, or induces or seeks to induce the making of any false statement or representation of a material fact with respect to the conditions or operation of any institution, facility, or entity in order that such institution, facility or entity may qualify ( either upon initial certification or upon recertification ) as a hospital, critical access hospital, skilled nursing facility, nursing facility, intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded, home health agencey or other entity ( including an eligible organization under section 1395mm(b) of this title ) for which certification is required under subchapter XVIII of this chapter or a State health care program ( as defined in section 1320a-7(h) of this title), or with respect to information required to be provided under section 1320-a-3a of this title, shall be guilty of a felony and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not more than $25,000 or imprisioned for not more than five years, or both.

No defficiencies found. Really!!!

Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, Liars

This day a year ago, Mom was still in Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation in Hendersonville NC. She had been recovering much better than she had been up until now. I would go to visit every morning and we would talk about what was going on. Her spirits were higher than they had been since the surgery. Her sense of humor was back, and she was getting stronger. Only five more days till Mom was to go home.
Late at night on October 29, 2011 Moms roomate was awakened by a loud crash. She looked down and saw Mom laying in the floor asking for help. Apparently from her state of undress, she was on her way back from the bathroom. She was at risk for falls, and was supposed to have a bed alarm.
 The roomate pushed the call button and waited for someone to come assist my Mom back to bed. Finally according to the roomate, two nurses aids were walking past the room and ignored the light on. The roomate had to verbally get the attention of the cna's.
They entered the room and called for the nurse in charge ( Lara Mooney, LPN "). As nurse Mooney entered the room, she instructed the cna's to "get her back in bed, check her vital signs, and put an alarm on her. Moms records reflect that her vital signs were checked around 2:00 am.
This is the account given to us by Mom's roomate, she was a nice woman in her thirties or so. The reason she was in the facility, was for i.v. medication. She had no problems with her vision or memory.
Lara Mooney's account was somewhat different. According to the report filed by Ms Mooney, she was standing at the foot of Mom's bed and saw mom remove the alarm, and try to get out of bed. According to her, Mom slid to the floor and landed on her bottom. The report in Moms records was not entered until a month after Moms death.
I spoke to ms Mooney on the phone when she was working at Fleichers Fairview Healthcare, six months after Mom died. I asked her why she was no longer at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. Her answer was that it was not her choice. I asked her who asked her to come in and write the report, she said she couldn't remember.
My brother, his wife, my sister and I met with Gail Maloney Western regional director of NCDHHS. At the meeting in Black Mountain office we produced a signed notarized statement of what happened that night, discussed some of the problems with the records, and other concerns with the NCDHHS investigation into Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. All this seemed to be of little concern to Ms. Maloney, she seemed to be angry that we didn't just accept their decision. She promised us an administrative review, and we gave her copies of the documents that caused us concern.
The result of all of this was, the NCDHHS didn't see anything wrong with anything we discussed that day, and that was that.
Corruption or not ??? Seems pretty obvious to me.
The last time I called the Black Mtn. office of the NCDHHS, Ms Maloney was no longer there. Funny how every one that were key people in this mess is no longer at their job!

Dr Larry Joe Russell supposedly saw my Mom at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation a year ago today. According to their records, Mom was doing much better. She was getting her strength back, and participating in physical therapy. She was eating better, at least when she was able to see her food. For the first time, she was actually getting better.
 Mom was looking better than she had since her surgery. She was going up and down the halls with her walker, doing her time on the exercise bike and trying to get out of Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and go home. She had been through hell since her surgery on September seventh, ups and downs at Memorial Mission and a terrible time at Care Partners. This time she was really improving. There was still some work to be done, but Mom was doing her part.
We were able to take Mom to see her grandson perform in the high school orchestra. On the way back to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation Mom wanted to stop for dessert. We stopped at Sonic and got ice cream on the way back. Mom made sure someone brought her candy for trick or treaters at Halloween. All the Grandchildren, were there to visit for halloween.
There was some disagreement amongst the siblings, about where Mom would be better off when she left Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. Finally, the family was able to put Moms needs first and it was decided what was best for her. My sisters made sure that Mom had all the supplies she needed to go home. The afternoon before Mom was to be discharged, my wife and son picked Mom up at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. Mom wanted to go to the bank, to get her finances in order before she went home. Next stop, Walmart, Mom wanted a new pair of jeans and top to wear home. She seemed fine, and was glad to finally be going home.
I had seen Mom that morning, and since she was going to be going home that day, I did not make my usual afternoon visit. If I knew what was to come, nothing could have kept me away.
November 3, 2011, around 5:07 am I got the call that you never want to get. The person on the other end of the line said that Mom was not breathing and they were trying to resusitate her. She never took another breath.
Larry Joe Russell signed the death certificate. According to the NC State Medical Examiners office, any death not directly related to the condition the doctor is treating a patient for, should be investigated. That would mean Moms death should have been investigated, but as we have been told repeatedly, old people die.
My Mom was supposed to go home that day. Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation has been not too honest about the events leading up to Mom's death.
I am looking for anyone who had a questionable experience with Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, Dr. Larry Joe Russell, SanStone, Christopher Sprenger, Michael Deloach, Gerald P. Cox, Pardee Hospital, BeyStone, Universal Healthcare, Omnicare, Beverley Healthcare, Integrated Healthcare, Omega Health or any nursing home in the Country. Please message me on this blog, and we can help.
Mom was supposed to come home the day she died! There was no explanation given as to why she might have died!

Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, and Sanstone. Until October 19, 2011, I never could have told you anything about either one. Now I know enough to write a book, and probably will one day.
It all started one year ago today,
I left work about this time and drove to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, for the first time, to visit my Mother. She had been discharged from Mission Hospital in Asheville North Carolina and sent to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation to regain her strength, and assistance with daily living. Little did I know, the bed she was in that day, would be where she would die.
After Mom died, I went to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation to find out about Moms last night there. I was told a story, that was inconsistent with the information that I was originally provided. I left there and picked up a copy of the EMS report, thats when the alarm bells really started to go off. The times and events recorded with the EMS did not match the story told by Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation.This is what prompted my brother and I to begin our journey to find out who these people are.
SanStone is, Christopher Sprenger and Michael Deloach, both have local addresses, as well as an office in Biltmore park, and an office that has the same address as the Fed Ex office on airport road.
The Sprenger family is involved in all aspects of healthcare in Ohio, Minnesota, and lots of other places. They do business under lots of different names, even some of their places might have Sprenger in the name, but not many. They really seem to be drawn to the care of the elderly. Thats where they make the most money.
From what I can tell, They attached themselves to a greedy, bottom feeding doctor, named Larry Joe Russell, from Kentucky. Together, they were able to purchase Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, from Margaret Pardee Hospital, in Hendersonville. It looks to me like the Board of Directors at Pardee, and the Henderson County Commissioners, were just as greedy as Larry Joe. Seems they sold the facility, for over 8 million dollars.
There were other people bidding on the Pardee Care Center, which is now Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. Pardee decided to sell to these people because of the "local connection" of Larry Joe, and the Sprenger name. The local newspaper stated that the facility was sold to Hendersonville Physicans and associates. Thats another story for another day!
 Pardee says, they were unprofitable due to the restrictions and rules enforced on hospital owned Nursing Homes. In other words, in order to provide adequate care, they had to actually have adequate staff.
SanStone, on the other hand was not bound by the same rules.They were able to reduce the staffing levels, and provide inferior care.
SanStone runs commercials on channel 13, WLOS tv in Asheville. The people in these commercials are telling how wonderful each of SanStone's properties are.Dont be fooled by them, look up any one of their facilities and see how many stars Medicare gives them. Last time I checked they were all around one out of five. Nursing homes are big business, with big profits, and little regulations. If you need one of these facilities, do your research first!!! More to come

Care Partners  Rehabilitation Hospital in Asheville NC.
I found myself having to go back to a place I never wanted to go again. I had to go to Care partners to pick up a copy of my Mothers medical records.
I requested them over two weeks ago, and was given the usual runaround you get from these places. I was finally able to convince the lady that it was not my fault she went on vacation. She printed the records as I drove across town to pick them up.
When I arrived at Care Partners in Asheville NC, I was told to wait in the family room. It is a room I had sat in with my Mother just last year. While I was sitting there waiting, a patient in a motorized wheelchair came in with another woman.I was trying not to listen to their conversation, but the room is only so big, and I was already sitting when they came in.
The poor lady in the wheelchair was telling the other lady about the way she was being treated. I was doing my best not to get up and tell her how to complain, but I refrained from doing so. As I listened the lady in the wheelchair told the other lady, how the nurses assistants would not change her diaper when she asked, she talked about how her dr., Doctor Diez told her they were going to take out some sort of port the next morning. She said when the nurse came in she told her they would do it later, then the second shift nurse told her the same thing. Then she said the third shift nurse came in and was very nasty to her. She said she had been laying in her own excrement for some time and they were not changing her diaper. Then the third shift nurse removed the port, and the cna changed her diaper.She was crying as she spoke.The woman in the wheelchair was actually asking to be released, or where else she could go for her treatment.
 It was hard to listen to, knowing that the same sort of things probably happened to my Mother, when no one was there with her. Mom was one of the lucky ones that survive care partners, she had someone there almost all the time. There was one occasion, that I actually had to assist the cna in changing my Mothers diaper. There were not enough people working for someone to assist her. I am not complaining that I had to do what I did, but it was uncomfortable for me, and I can imagine how uncomfortable it was for Mom.
I know that Congresswoman Gifford was in Care Partners Rehabilitation Hospital, for rehab. I seriously doubt that she received this sort of treatment. I can only speculate that the woman in the wheelchair was either medicare or medicaid. I'm almost positive that people with private insurance are treated better than the rest.
This is a sad reality. We the people have to act or react, in order for things to get better. Ask your representative about their position on healthcare for the elderly. This is election season, let your vote count for something. You may end up in one of these places at any point in your life. The lady in the wheelchair was probably not even forty years old.
Make a difference, pay attention if you go to one of these places to visit someone, look around. I can assure you that whatever you see wrong is just the tip of the iceberg. Ask questions, get mad, do something to help
.If only I had the chance to go back one year, I would certainly not let them slide at all.

SanStone ,Christopher Sprenger and Michael Delaoch, at their best. This is from a review I just read on Oak Summitt in Winston Salem. I am assuming this is currently called Oak Forest Health and Rehabilitation LLC, as they have the same address. Funny how they change names instead of shady business practices!

Here's the link to the advertismentfor the facility!

http://www.sanstonehealth.com/oakforest/about

0 out of 5 stars. My family member has been at Oak forest for over a month. I myself and multiple family members have observed what can only be called abuse or neglect by mutiple members of the nursing staff,and they are not afraid to do these things right in front of you. I asked for some towels and the aide pointed me to where the linen cart was,also my family member and their roomate were frequently soiled and for god only knows how long. The only bright spot in this facility was the wondefull care of the therapists who would often bathe and dress my family member and do their therapy because the aides flat refused to get my family member out of bed,now the therapists are telling me that the administrator is changing therapy companies so they will be leaving. I have already started to look to transfer facilties and would never reccomend this hell hole to anyone who wants their family treated well

Here,s one more.

0 out of 5 rating from me. The company advertised that it participates in Medicare. I have BlueCross BlueShield, Medicare and TriCare for Life. In April, 2009 I had hip replacement surgery. The Forsyth Medical Center (previously) had the facility as a recommended post-surgery facility provided all of my insurance information and coordinated my transfer to Oak Forest in advance. NOW, the facility refuses to submit its billing to Medicare unless I first pay $150.00. The billing manager refused to give her name and said "SHE DID NOT CARE WHO I SUBMITTED A COMPLAINT TO SHE WAS NOT GOING SUBMIT MY BILL UNLESS I PAID THEM A CO-PAYMENT FIRST" I am a disabled veteran on a fixed budget. I can not afford to pay out of pocket for health care services that I have already paid for with my insurance premiums. Since I have more than full coverage, I have never had to pay a co-payment. The NC Atty Gen - Consumer Protection Div. has been notified.

Business Reply to this Review by Christopher Sprenger I am so sorry that you had a poor experience at Oak Forest! We strive to make everyone's stay with us as enjoyable and productive as possilbe. I hope you are healing well and you are up and about. To be honest, I am a bit confused about some of your concerns. I can assure you we would have billed Medicare (we don't get paid if we don't bill). It also sounds like you had a co-pay of $150 due to a lack of co-insurnace. Every Medicare eligible person has the ability to purchase co-insurance to pay the co-pay. It sound like you chose not to have this insurance. All said, I think most would agree that after braking your hip, having rehabilitation, room and board and only owing $150 isn't a bad deal! If I have my facts wrong please contact me anytime at the facility.


They respond three seperate times to the money issue, but not once to the care issue!


Now here's the link:
http://www.superpages.com/bp/Winston-Salem-NC/Oak-Forest-Health-Rehabilitation-L0504429190.htm#BPreviewContainer


Would you trust someone you care about to SanStone, I did and that person is no longer alive to speak for herself, so I am speaking for her.

Roy A. Cooper, the North Carolina Attorney General. He's up for reelection this November.
I had a reason recently to contact his office, regarding something about anti trust laws. The first call was made last Tuesday, I explained what I wanted, and was passed around, until I was able to leave a voicemail. I left a voice message stating that I had a question regarding an anti trust issue. No one ever called me back.
Today I called them again, I told them I was looking for information on anti trust laws. I was passed around on the phone until I was lucky enough to speak to a not real friendly lady. I started trying to explain what I wanted, she cut me off and said" what is it you want to know".
I spoke to her about what I considered to be a violation of some law. She was very short with me, and said She didn't see anything wrong with the situation I described. Then she told me I could research the statutes if I wanted to. Well, thats not the way I want to be treated by someone I may have voted for. Rest assured, that my vote this November will not be for Mr.Cooper. I want someone as Attorney General who knows the statutes well enough that I dont have to look them up.
This November, make a difference! We have to start on a local level, then move up.
 School Board, County Commissioners, Mayor, City Council, maybe even Attorney General. Sooner or later we might even get to elect our own president!!
Proud to be an American?
Just Sayin'

NCDHHS, Who is it that appoints these clowns. If you have ever had to deal with them you know what I'm talking about. They publish all sorts of handy little information booklets, that we as taxpayers pay for. They are supposed to be there to look out for the public, children, elderly, disabled etc. I have dealt with two different divisions of the NCDHHS, and found neither one to be helpful. The initial contact is usually pleasant enough, but when they find out what you want, then it changes. They almost always seem to be adversarial and not so eager to help.
I have been doing lots of research lately, and am beginning to wonder, who they actually work for, or if they actually work at all. I was looking at the nursing home licensure division in particular. For example, in Henderson County, there were thirty one complaints filed against nine nursing homes. Out of thirty one actual complaints they found only four to be valid. These were people who probably went through the usual process.
First, you complain to the facility, then they have committees and there is also the Ombudsmans office. Their job is to act as mediators between you and the facility. The next step is to file a formal complaint, this in itself is not that difficult to do, you can do so by phone or mail or on line. Don't expect to hear anything back from them anytime soon. They will take their time, hoping I'm sure that you will forget that you filed a complaint. Then you will get the same letter that twenty seven out of the thirty one gets. It will tell you how serious they take these complaints and explain a little about the punishments they can enforce. The second page will be a standard form and it will list the facility, date of investigation and then comes the " no deficiencies found "part
Don't let that bother you, just remember that out of thirty one people who went through all this, twenty seven others got the same letter.
LOOK FOR YOURSELF, HERE'S THE LINK TO THE LIST OF COMPLAINTS.

http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dhsr/facilities/results.asp

look at Henderson County and you can do the math yourself.
As you are looking at the list, notice that on their yearly re certification, some of them have up to fifty two pages of deficiencies.
I'm sure that there is no corruption or political influence contributing to the lack of findings!
Really!!!   Only four out of thirty one?

This time last year, Mom was in Memorial Mission Hospital, and they were discussing sending her to Care Partners, in Asheville.She was eating, but not enough, so they had to insert a feeding tube. She was starting to recover, and could hold a conversation for short periods. According to someone she had walked down the hall, with assistance.
 My brother questioned the decision to move her but one of the doctors at mission, said if they waited too long, she may be to strong for them to accept her at Care Partners. A nurse quietly told my brother that Mom could appeal the decision. She left and came back with tears in her eyes and said she had put a stop to the move, for now. The next day was a Sunday, and they came in and said they were going to move her that day. My brother and oldest sister were there at the time. When they asked Mom if she was ready to move to Care Partners, she commented" If you say I am". My brother argued with them and told them that she would agree to almost anything at this point in her recovery. They sent her any way. She was transported by ambulance to Care Partners in Asheville.
Upon her arrival, she was put in her room, and within a day had a feeding tube back and a catheter. Hardly seems that she was ready to be released from the hospital, does it.
Slowly she recovered enough to begin therapy, and the feeding tube was removed. One of us would be at the facility around dinner time, and usually, her food would be sitting on her tray next to her bed. It was cold most of the time and we would try to get her to eat , but usually one of us would bring her something hot to eat. Care Partners answer was to keep pumping the ensure into her.They were nice enough to show us where the microwave was.  It was so bad that they were supposed to be logging anything she ate, and also monitoring her waste output.
At this point, we began to realize that she was going to recover, just a lot slower than they had told us. All of Moms children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, were regular visitors at Care Partners. My brother and oldest sister would spend the night in the chair. She improved slowly but she was improving. There was light at the end of the tunnel.
More to come on her stay there.

Sanstone, how do they do it?
These people are taking over local nursing homes, and when they do the changes are not good. It is obvious that their sole motivation is getting the most money, out of as many places as they can. They show little or no concern for the rules and regulations, and even less for their patients.
They are going to build a "new Beystone " to replace the aging one by Park Ridge. The new facility is in Mills River, and they are going to be partners with Fletcher Academy. What is a high school doing in the nursing home business? Maybe a high school could do a better job running one than Sanstone does?
The last recertification Beystone had 52 pages of deficiencies, cited by the NCDHHS. They promise to run the new facility by the same standards as the current one. To me this is not comforting.
Has the Henderson County Board of Commissioners lost their minds, or have they just found a source of easy cash.Does the NCDHHS just let someone build a nursing home to replace an old one. Do they not take the quality of care provided at the current facility into consideration?
The proposal they gave to the comissioners, sounds like an advertisement for a hotel in Myrtle Beach. It talks about how the common areas will be just like home. They talk about the lighting in the hallways.
The one thing they don't talk about is resident care.
Look them up on the NCDHHS website, listing complaints and inspections. It seems to me there was a story of a resident that spent almost three whole days in the same food stained clothes. Thats the kind of care they are promising to continue at the new place. They will just be doing it in a building with fancy light fixtures.
Someone needs to stop these people before we all end up in one of their facilities. If you have a loved one in a Sanstone facility, watch them. If something doesn't look right, chances are they aren't. There are non profit homes out there that run with higher staff levels and a higher standard of care.
More to come!

Who owns what? Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation.
According to the Times News, the Pardee Care Center, which is now Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, was bought by a local group of doctors.Dr. Larry Joe Russell, Dr. Lateef Abumouassa, Dr.Stephen Lackey, Dr. Amal Das, Dr. Gail Clary,
In the same article, it mentions several other groups. Ardent Health,  Ohio based Sprenger Retirement Centers, Blue Sky Healthcare, Chris Sprenger, and Mike Deloach.
Yet the pretty new sign out front says, "a Sanstone property".
Kinda looks like a shell game doesn't it. Which shell is the real owner hiding under?

This time last year, my brother, sisters and I, and our wives, husbands and children, were taking turns standing watch over Mom as she struggled to recover from her surgery. Mom had woken up a couple of times, but was still not quite aware of what was going on.
Our families were assured that the doctors expected a full recovery. Dr. Harold Picus, informed us that the surgery was successful, and they got all the tumor. He said Mom would need some time to recover, but was doing well after the surgery.
This was just the beginning of the worst eight weeks of my life so far. Mom continued to recover slowly, the first five or six days in ICU, then to a room at Mission. Mom was awake at times, she was eating some, and showing signs of recovering.
After a short stay in her room at Mission, the Doctor decided Mom was well enough to be moved to Care Partners for rehabilitation. If you have never been to Care Partners in Asheville NC, pray that you never have to. This is an example of what is wrong with the way we treat our elderly. They place a cagelike covering over the bed of anyone they think may wander, or get out of bed if they are not able to walk. They will deliver the meals and just leave them sitting in the room whether you are able to eat them or not. They will occasionally assist a patient to the bathroom, but they seem to find it easier to just let them do their business in bed, and clean it up when they have time.
Next, the people at Care Partners decided Mom was ready to go home. They assisted us with getting the equipment Mom needed. They also worked with my sister to show her how to help Mom. She came home and was able to get up and sit at the table and eat periodically, and need assistance to get to the bathroom and shower. Again all the women in the family were there to help with anything on the "personal" care level. My oldest sister spent most of the nights at the foot of Moms bed sleeping in a chair in case Mom needed something. The rest of the family were there to help whenever they were able.
After a week at home, Mom was taken back to Mission emergency room, with severe hemmeroids and abdominal pain. She was also not eating well. Again we were all taking turns sitting with Mom and trying to help wherever we could. Sometimes, we would just sit and talk with her. It was very encouraging to see her  able to have a conversation.
The Doctor at Mission was helpful in explaining what Mom was eligible for under medicare guidlines. That was a stay in a "skilled nursing facility".
The facility that she ended up in was Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, a Sanstone facility. She was transported by ambulance to HHR on October 19, 2011. I remember driving there after work that day. From the outside the place looks beautiful. The lawn is manicured, the bushes trimmed, pretty flowers are all around the building, there are rocking chairs on the front porch.
When I went inside for the first time, the woman at the front desk told me what room Mom was in and the warning bell should have gone off when I got to that room and whoever that poor woman was in that bed was not Mom. I went into the hall, and a gentleman pushing someone in a wheelchair, asked me who I was looking for. He then directed me to a room that was not the same as what I was told at the front desk.
There was my Mother, lying in bed with my sister sitting next to her. A woman in scrubs came in and took an inventory of Moms personal belongings, and left. I was surprised at the condition of the room itself. The paint was scraped off the wall in places, from the moving of beds and chairs. The furniture was the finest any discount store had to offer. There was another bed, but no one was in it at the time. Mom was able to have a conversation, and knew what was going on. She needed help with bathroom trips and bathing. Again someone from the family was with her most of the time, even overnight for the first couple of days. It was creepy, the lady across the hall kept screaming and calling for Jenny. There were many unusual noises at all times.
Mom got a roomate on the second day, she was probably in her thirtys, and was there for IV medication for a serious infection. We all befriended her, she was a light in the darkness for Mom. She would call the nurses when they would not answer the call light outside the room. She was a sweet caring person.
More to come.

Dr Harold Picus, Dr Larry Joe Russell, Care Partners and Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. Last year at this time i knew nothing about any of them. How it all began.
It was a year ago today September 7, 2011. At 5:00 in the morning, my wife and I picked my Mother up at her home, to take her to Mission Hospital. She had scheduled surgery to remove a tumor from her pitituary gland. She made the decision to have the surgery for two different reasons. One was her fear that the tumor was pressing on the optic nerves, and they had told her if she didn't have the surgery, she would go blind. The second reason, was her fear that her medicare benefits would be taken away by the politicians.
The surgery is fairly common, and the survival rate is high. The tumor was not cancer. The recovery period varies but it commonly takes up to two months or longer.
The surgery was done by Dr.Harold Picus, at Mission hospital in Asheville NC. My brother met my wife and I at the hospital, and we were each allowed to visit with Mom before they took her in for the surgery. After the surgery, Dr. Picus met with us and told us that everything went well, and they were able to sucessfully remove the entire tumor. He also said that he expected a full recovery. It was later that evening before we were allowed to see Mom. It was shocking to see the staples in the side of her head, but we were all glad to see her.
After her stay at Mission Hospital, she was sent to Care partners in Asheville. At care partners, she was able to walk with minimal help. She was seeing a physical therapist and an occupational therapist. All the doctors, said they expected a full recovery.
After care partners, she went home. All my sisters, and my brother and our spouses, were taking turns helping out with Moms needs. She ended up back in Mission Hospital, due to extreme pain due to hemmeroids. After her stay in Mission, she was sent to Hendersonville Health and rehabilitation, in Hendersonville NC. a Sanstone Property.
Mom was continuing to recover, she started eating more, gained back some of the weight she had lost, and according to Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation and the therapists there, she had achieved the goals they had set for her. Mom was scheduled to come home on November 3, 2011.
At around 5:00 am on November 3, 2011, I received a call from Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. The caller told me that Mom was having trouble breathing, and that I should get there as soon as possible. When I arrived, they met me at the door and told me that she had stopped breathing and her heart had stopped. They had started cpr and transported her to Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville NC.
It was at Pardee Hospital that I was told that Mom had passed away.
I still do not know what happened during her stay at Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. I know that I have been lied to by almsot everyone I have spoken to at that facility.
 Mom was supposed to come home that day.

Paul Shogren, Cookie ( Maude )  Romeo, Susan Habel, Lara Mooney, Jennifer Thomas. What do they all have in Common ?
They all work or worked at Hendersonville Health and Rehab.It seems suspicious,  that during the time my Mother was a resident at Hendersonville Health and Rehab, Cookie Romeo, was the Administrator, Susan Habel, was the Director of Nursing, Jennifer Thomas, was the Medical records keeper and Lara Mooney was a Nurse on Moms wing. Ever since I have been asking questions, and filing complaints with various State and Federal agencies, they have all vanished.
Jennifer Thomas was first, just after I met her and spoke to her about Moms records, she supposedly moved to New Jersey. Lara Mooney was next, she was asked to "create" a late entry in Mom's file, concerning a fall. She was working at Fleishers Fairview Healthcare at last report. Cookie (Maude) Romeo was promoted within the Sanstone management team. Susan Habel, mysteriously disappeared as soon as the NC Board of Nursing told me she was the Head Nurse on duty the night of Mom's fall.
I'm sure something unusual happened that night in October 2011. If not why are all these people vanishing from Hendersonville Health and Rehab.
Enter, Paul Shogren the current Administrator at Hendersonville Health and Rehab. He was hired from The Laurels of Hendersonville where Dr. Larry Joe Russell has been the medical director for the last seven years. It must just be a coincidence that Larry Joe was Moms last Doctor, and that he is also one of the owners of Hendersonville Health and Rehab.
Nothing here looks even a little suspicious!!!! Would you let your parent or parents spend the night in this
" Little Shop of Horrors" ?

Larry Joe Russell, I wonder if he will get as many views as Paul Shogren?
I was driving in Flat Rock this afternoon, and noticed that one of Dr. Larrys offices had closed. It was staffed by a nurse practicioner or physicans assistant.They also had oxygen and durable medical supplies.
Right next to it was a lab that tested for some chemical or mineral in peoples blood. It looked like it was closed also, or in the process of closing. Wonder what Larry Joe is up to. Maybe his involvement in other medical offices,and his long list of patients at all the local nursing homes, keeps him busy enough.
If not, I'm sure that TST Medical, his ownership intrest in Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, or being the medical director at The Laurels, pays quite well.
I'm sure the quality of care his patients receive does not suffer one little bit. If you cant see Larry Joe himself, there is always a physicans assistant or nurse practicioner available. Who needs a doctor, as long as you have one on record ( whether you actually see tham or not).
Sorry if I sound a little bitter, it just doesn't seem right. People are dying due to lack of medical care, and the Doctors and owners of nursing homes just keep getting richer.
Based on what I've seen, some of the patients prefer death, over life in one of these hell holes. Dont let this happen to someone you care about. Speak up, vote, complain, do whatever it takes to make sure your loved one is taken care of. Once they are gone, nothing can bring them back.
Do something now, before it's to late!!!

Paul Shogren, The new director of Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, formerly of the Laurels of Hendersonville. He obviously earned the position through hard work and major truth bending at the Laurels.
( Dr. Larry Joe Russell happens to be the medical director of the Laurels and one of the owners of Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation, and also my Mothers last Doctor.)
Mr Shogren, called me about a week and a half ago. I had written him a letter, asking him several questions about the events that led to my Mothers death. Mr. Shogren was very sorry for the loss of my Mother, and wanted to help my family and I reach some sort of closure. As far as people go he was very pleasant on the phone. He seemed almost sincere in his desire to help me. We spoke for a little while, and I told him about the frustrations I had experienced with the misinformation being provided by Hendersonville Health and Rehabilitation. I was assured that he would look into the situation and call me back by Monday. That was last week, and I still have not received that call. I guess Mr. Shogren was not all that anxious to help after all.
I also sent a copy of the letter to Gail Maloney of the NCDHHS, and she has not even bothered to respond at all. That in itself does not surprise me. I'm sure that Mr. Shogren spoke to Gail Maloney, and they decided that it was best not to call me back.
It wouldn't surprise me if the NC Board of Nursing, NCDHHS and The NC Medical Board all got together and decided to leave things as they are. There is absolutly no desire on any of their parts to provide any answers. Especially if it might be incriminating to one of their members.
I have six simple questions that would put the whole thing to rest. So far not one person has answered any of them. I wonder what they are afraid of ? The truth will set you free!

The North Carolina Board of Nursing. "Serving the Public Through Regulatory Excellence "
If this is true they obviously don't hold their legal counsel to the same standards. This is a classic example of what my frustrations are. This only goes to prove that these agencies are only out to serve the politicians and members of their respective members. Happy reading thanks to my big brother:

http://www.bluenc.com/jack-nichols-will-say-anything

Is this what you would call credible. I would only hire an attorney like this if I were willing to perservere at all cost.

"Really" I couldn't make this up if I tried!

The North Carolina Board of Nursing. They have been the subject of several of these posts. I guess today is their lucky day again. This is the answer to my request for information from them.
" Dear Mr. Lytle,
Our General Counsel has reviewed your request. Some of the information you are requesting is investigatory and, therefore confidential." The letter goes on to say " I have responded to your questions below as numbered in your email of July 1, 2012, and as deemed appropriate by our General Counsel.".
Then the letter informs me that the nursing home, Hendersonville Health and Rehab, "typically documents" some of the information I have asked for. I should ask the facility directly for those reports.
The only reason for contacting the North Carolina Board of Nursing in the first place, was I could not obtain those reports from Hendersonville Health and Rehab. The circle seems to be never ending. Every agency I have dealt with has basically told me the same thing. Ask the people you complained to us about, to get the information, that you complained to us that you could not get from them.
Is there anyone out there that is not controlled or manipulated, by the health care industry. They are basically policing themselves, while innocent people are dying. Not one agency I have spoken to would even acknowledge that anything appeared to be wrong.
It's time to look at who is controlling all of these boards and regulatory agencies. I will be providing specific information concerning political and financial indications, as deemed appropriate by my General Counsel. More to come.

NCDHSR, North Carolina Division of Health Service Regulation. What is their responsibility? I took this from their website.

The Nursing Home Licensure and Certification Section regulates nursing homes by conducting routine surveys and complaint investigations. It provides licensing services such as changes in beds and ownership. It provides regulatory education to promote compliance with Federal regulations for Medicare/Medicaid certification.

The Complaint Intake Unit receives complaints for provider types regulated by DHSR. These provider types include: nursing homes; adult care homes; hospitals; home care, home health, or hospice agencies; dialysis centers; suppliers of portable x-ray services; providers of outpatient physical therapy or speech pathology services; rural health clinics; comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities; ambulatory surgery facilities; abortion clinics; cardiac rehabilitation programs; nursing pool agencies; clinical laboratories; and mental health group homes and other 24-hour facilities, outpatient, and day treatment facilities.

The North Carolina Medical Care Commission was established in 1945. In 1946, the commission was designated as the agency empowered to administer the Hill-Burton program within the state. Pursuant to the Executive Organization Act of 1973, the 17-member Commission was incorporated into the Department of Health and Human Services.
The commission has the duty and power to promulgate, adopt, amend and rescind rules in accordance with the laws of the state regarding the regulation and licensing or certification, as applicable, of hospitals, hospices, free standing outpatient surgical facilities, nursing homes, adult care homes, home care agencies, nursing pools, facilities providing mammography/pap smear services, free standing abortion clinics, ambulances and emergency medical services personnel.
In 1975, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted the Health Care Facilities Finance Act, which enables the commission to issue tax-exempt revenue bonds to finance construction and equipment projects for non-profit and public hospitals, nursing homes, continuing care facilities for the elderly and facilities related to the foregoing.
I read somewhere that the commission was appointed by the Governor!
Would it seem to be a conflict of intrest if a member of the Medical Care Commission was also the owner of several nursing Homes? Just imagine if you owned a nursing home and you were on the Commission that could "ammend and rescind rules" regarding the regulation and liscencing of nursing homes. You could also "issue tax - exempt revenue bonds to finance construction and equipment projects for non profit and public hospitals, nursing homes, continuing care facilities for the elderly and facilities related to the foregoing."
"Really"
I'm sure all the members of the commission are honest, upstanding members of the community, who would put the public intrest first. If not, they would be able to do a lot of good things for the owners of hospitals and nursing homes! They could issue tax - exempt revenue bonds to finance the construction and equipment projects for their own intrests. Then they could " ammend and rescind" rules to fit their own needs. In today's society, this would never happen would it?
As a friend of mine would say " Yeah Right"?

The North Carolina Board of Nursing. "Serving the Public Through Regulatory Excellence"

I'm still trying to figure out their definition of regulatory excellence.
 I contacted them again today as a follow up to their email on July 31. I asked if they had any information for me yet. Their answer:

"I have no response yet but followed up with attorney on Monday and it is actively under consideration."

This seems a little strange to me because they are saying that Lara Mooney and Susan Habel did nothing wrong!Why do you need to consult an attorney, to see what information you can disclose, if you see nothing wrong. Why would you not be able to show me what you have that proves what I saw was wrong?

I need to form a food service workers association, that is a quasi government agencey. It could make the health department not disclose my kitchens sanitation grade, even if it were a 98%. Of course, I would have to generate enough capital, to pay the proper officials.

The North Carolina State Medical Examiners Office:

The North Carolina Medical Examiner System is a network of over 600 medical doctors throughout North Carolina who voluntarily devote their time, energy, and medical expertise to see that deaths of a suspicious, unusual or unnatural nature are adequately investigated.
I am back to where it all started in November of last year. Here is something from the NC State Medical Examiners  website:
2. The following types of deaths in North Carolina are to be reported to a medical examiner:

Sudden unexpected deaths not reasonably related to known previous disease.

An example of this, would be like if someone was in a facility for strengthening and occupational rehab. Then the day they were supposed to be discharged from the facility, (Hendersonville Health and Rehab) their heart just stops beating. The patient was not in the facility for heart related issues. And they had reached their goals for rehab.  They were assisted to the bathroom about fifteen before they were found slumped over, without a heartbeat. Nothing was mentioned about the patient showing any sign of heart problems.
I'm no medical professional, but to me that sounds like a sudden unexpected death not reasonably related to known previous disease. In which case, the medical examiner should have been notified. These are their rules, not something I made up to fit any situation.
Well after reading their rules, I decided to call them. I spoke to the receptionist, who transferred me to someone named Judy. Judy proceeded to inform me that she couldn't help me. She didn't know why they didn't do what they were supposed to do. Then Judy told me I would have to contact the doctors, or the hospital to get any kind of answer. It didn't seem to concern her at all that they didn't follow proper procedures! It concerns me, and should concern anyone.
Lets just say one day I die. It seems relatively obvious to the emergency room doctor that I died from a heart attack. However, someone in my life had figured out that certain drugs could produce the same symptoms as a heart attack. Lets just say that same person, wanted me out of the picture for some reason. I would hope that the fact that I have no previous heart disease, would at least make them draw a blood sample and possibly find traces of that drug!

I am still here and still trying to inform people about the system that is supposed to look out for our elderley citizens. The people who paid their taxes and helped form this country.
I wonder how they would feel about the way they are treated in nursing homes. I seriously doubt they intended for the public to turn their backs on them. I think they should at least be treated with the dignity we treat our animals when they get old. I've seen people that will let their dogs sleep in the bed with them when they get old. Some of the same people wouldn't think twice about putting their parents in a nursing home.
Maybe if they knew the quality of care their parents were receiving they would change their mind. If you find yourself having to make the decision to put mom or pop in the home, do some research. All nursing homes are not created equal. They have a star rating posted by the NCDHSR. Look them up. Hendersonville Health and Rehab has only one star. If I had known that then that would have made a difference.
They all look nice and pretty on the outside, and the intake people are friendly. They even have a putting green and ice cream shop. What they don't have is adequate nursing and support staff for the number of residents they have. People in these places suffer a terrible injustice. Dont be fooled by what you can see, ask about what you dont see!

Now the NC Medical board

Ever have a problem with a doctor? If you do you, and you file a complaint, you will have the pleasure of dealing with The North Carolina Medical Board. Let me tell you before hand that they do not see things the same way normal people do. They will be extremely sympathetic to your complaint at first. They may even go so far as to act like they can't believe a doctor would do something like "that".
Then they send you a letter saying that only a small number of complaints are actually investigated. If your's happens to be one of the small number, you will wait a couple of months for a reply. In my case as with all the other agencies, they start by saying how sorry they are about your loss, then comes the we could not find any reason to discipline the doctor. They will assure you that they did a thorough investigation of your complaint, and that it will be kept on file in case there are any more complaints.
Yesterday, I filed another complaint against Dr. Larry Joe Russell of Hendersonville NC. The complaint was based on facts that I just discovered by talking to Linda Burhans at the North Carolina Board of Nursing. Within hours of filing the complaint I got an email back from Judie Clark, director of the Complaint department. Here it is:

As you know, this matter has already been reviewed by the Board and they found no basis to take any action against the MD’s license to practice medicine.  I will provide your additional information to the Board to determine if there is any basis to change their original decision.  It will be the latter part of September before you receive a final letter from the Board.

Keep in mind that the complaint was for something different from the original one. I felt the information was significant enough to go through the process of filing a new complaint. I guess the way they look at it is if you have one complaint against a doctor, it encompasses anything else as well.

I emailed them back and told them that I felt this was a seperate issue, and deserved their consideration. The response from Judie Clark was : As stated in my previous email, your initial complaint and your subsequent information will be provided to the Board for their review and consideration.The Board (not me) will make a decision as to their final resolution of this case.
I can almost gurantee that it will go like this:
Thank you for taking the time complete the complaint form on line. We have reviewed the information you provided .  However, as  we informed you in our previous letter, there was no basis to take any action against the MD's license to practice medicine. I guess I'll have to wait till the "latter part of September" to find out. I sure am lucky it's not important!!

Really??

The North carolina Board of Nursing. "Serving the Public through Regulatory Excellence"
Anyone who has been reading this blog, knows that I filed a complaint with the NCBON against two nurses. Lara Mooney LPN and Susan Habel RN ( Director of nursing at Hendersonville Health and Rehab). I received a letter stating that there was not enough evidence to "substantiate" the complaint against Habel. The letter also went on to say that there was not enough proof to formally discipline Mooney, however she was "strongly Cautioned" about future occurences.
I have spoken to Linda Burhans, the Associate Director of the NCBON, and she informed me that they had notified me of their decision, and that was all they were required to do. I wrote her again asking some specific questions regarding what she had told me on the phone. I had to send the email three times to get a response. the response was that they had informed me of their decision, and that was all they were required to do.
I sent her another email telling her that in order to reach that decision, she must have more medical records than I do, because she had information that I do not have. I have requested and paid over $150.00 for two different copies of my Mothers records from Hendersonville Health and Rehab. They are not the same, and one contains more pages than the other. But neither has any of the information that Linda Burhans, gave me on the phone. I also asked her how she knew I had filed a complaint with the NCDHHS, as it is supposed to be confidential. The response came via email yesterday. They are consulting with their attorneys, to see what details of their investigation they can share with  me.
You would think that if neither Susan Habel RN, or Lara Mooney LPN,  (now at Fleishers Fairview Health Care) , had done anything wrong, they would want to share that information with the accuser. Why not make it public if you found nothing wrong. Is there corruption in these agencies ( NCDHHS, NCBON, NC Medical Board) I believe it is rampant. But if there is no corruption, there is definately collusion. They are protecting their own through regulatory mediocrity. Transparancy is the only way to protect the public. If you are protecting the public, why are your findings top secret???

Old people die!!
Has anyone ever told you that before? I have heard it over and over again since November. I realize that we are all going to die sooner or later. Does that mean if you die from a medication error or complications from an accidental fall, that it doesn't matter? Beleive me it matters when it is your Mother. It matters to all of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, as well as neices, nephews and other family members.
I realize that ther is nothing that can bring her back, or change what happened. Sometimes just knowing what really happened can provide comfort. It's not about blame, or making someone "pay' for your loss. It's about identifying a serious problem, and trying to fix it!
I think the agencies that oversee the care of the elderely, dont follow through. If they did ,someone would have to figure out how to fix the system. No one agency can fix all thats wrong, but someone has to start. It will take all the agencies working together, and enforcing the regulations rather than ignoring them. It would mean following through with the enforcement of the regulations. It would mean actually earning their paychecks. Simply put ,just doing their jobs would start the necessary changes to fix whats wrong.
It's similar to the way they dealt with terrorisim, the F.B.I. the C.I.A. the D.O.D and local and Federal government agencies working together for one goal.
Cooperation  between the NCDHHS, the Board of Nursing, the Medical Board, and local and State agencies,working together without corruption . That would improve the system 100%. Get off your lazy ass and do your job. It's that simple.

90% of U.S. Nursing Homes have staffing levels too low to provide adequate care!
Current number of people living in Nursing Homes 1.4 Million. Defficiencies in care was 31% higher in for - profit nursing homes than not for profit nursing homes.
In the year 2000 there were 3.4 billion dollars in suspicious accounting transactions identified by US News and World Report.
In 2003, there were 20,673 complaints of abuse, gross neglect, and exploitation on behalf of nursing home and board and care residents. This does not include the unlucky ones that had no one to watch out for them or had medical conditions like dementia, and could not speak for themselves.
The number of incidents of elder abuse reported to authorities was 1 in 14.
These facts were taken from an article published by The American Association for Justice
http://www.justice.org/cps/rde/justice/hs.xsl/3005.htm

These facts should alarm anyone. What if you or your loved one end up in one of the 90% of homes that are not staffed to provide adequate care? What if they are the one out of fourteen who suffer abuse? Is there Justice, I have not seen any Justice in regards to the treatment my Mother received at Hendersonville Health and Rehab. I have been reviewing records from NCDHHS website, and according to the low number of "substantiated" complaints filed, neither have a lot of other people.
What needs to happen to make them pay attention to the abuse, and enforce some kind of Justice? Maybe they should be forced to live in one of these facilities and be at the mercy of these " Caregivers". In my mind that would be justice!
I am most certain that when they or their loved ones need one of these facilities, they are placed in the 10% that have appropriate staffing levels to provide adequate care. They probably make up the majority of residents in that 10%. What about the rest of us? Who is looking out for us, the NCDHHS, thats who. Are they doing their job, or are they turning their heads in order to live a certain lifestyle? I know in Mom's case they chose to turn their heads and let Hendersonville Health and Rehab get away without a single defficiency.
Get involved and make a difference before you or someone you care about falls into the hands of these reckless profiteers!

Just something to think about:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

The North carolin Board of Nursing.
"Serving the Public through Regulatory Excellence".
I guess that should make us all feel like we are protected from any act that a nurse might be involved in? I can assure you in my Mothers case there were not a whole lot of regulations.
I sent them a signed notarized statement claiming that Lara Mooney LPN, had been less than honest about an incident that she was involved in. Ms. Mooney's story was not even close to what actually happened, and was not filed until one month after my Mother died.
According to Linda Burhans RN, Phd, FRE, the Associate Executive director of the North Carolina Board of Nursing, both reports put Mom in the floor. Other than that there was nothing similar between the two accounts of what happened that night. That did not concern Ms Burhans enough to "Serve the Public through Regulatory Excellence ". They found no problem with the fact that Lara Mooney LPN had lied about what happened.
I contacted Ms Burhans via email two times, and asked for clarification on what she had told me on the phone. The day I spoke to her I was driving, and could not take notes. Today, i received a letter from Linda Burhans at the North Carolina Board of Nursing. The letter stated "The North Carolina Board of Nursing is extremely sympathetic to your situation and your desire to closure in this matter." ( My Mothers Death ). Then she continued " You have indicated that you have copies of your Mothers medical records, so you have the opportunity to review and draw your own conclusions based on the information that you have."
"Really" Thats exactly what made me file a complaint with the North Carolina Board of Nursing in the first place!
Then Ms Burhans, Executive Director of the North Carolina Board of Nursing writes , "You are entitled to be told the outcome of the Board's investigation" , but  " You are not entitled to the actual investigative report or for us to engage in specific discussion of how we reached that conclusion". In other words you have no right to the information that was used to determine that your " witness" account was accurate or not. In other words we didn't do anything, and we dont have to tell you why.
I'm sure the fact that a certain individual ( who happens to have a connection to this facility) sponsors  a nursing scholarship program. Or that the same person is on the Executive committee at the NCDHHS, has anything to do with their decision. I wonder if Ms Burhans might have been a recipient of a scholarship?
Corruption seems to be the normal way of conducting business within these agencies that are protecting the public. It's time for the politicians to take notice, and protect their constituents rights!
I expect that to happen any day now!
Take action against the circle of corruption and greed that controls your destiny. Write a letter to a Congressman or Senator expressing your concern about something that matters to you. Then see how long it takes to get a response.

A few months ago, I had contacted a local Congressman in regards to the situation with the various agencies, "watching" out for the elderley. After my first email, I received a phone call from his office. I spoke to someone and explained my concerns, and asked for help or direction. After not hearing back from them for two months, I started emailing them again, asking if they were going to help or not.
I finally got an email back from Congressman Shulers office! The first person that had called me was Myrna Campbell. During our first phone conversation, she listened to my concerns, then suggested I call the Ombudsman's office. I explained that we were well past that phase of resolving this problem. I went on to tell her what steps I had taken to get NCDHHS to do their job enforcing their own regulations.
I was somewhat amused when the recent email gave me the name and number of a woman at the Ombudsmans office. I guess Myrna had forgotten everything I had told her two months ago.
I figured that maybe she knew something that I didn't about the Ombudsman's office, so I called them. The woman I spoke to was very nice, and of course she was so sorry about the loss of my Mother. After speaking with her and retelling the whole story again, she asked me about my religious beliefs, and warned me about bitterness. I asked her if she had received complaints from residents at Hendersonville Health and Rehab. Knowing how horrible my Mother was treated there, I figured she had. She told me her job was to mediate between the families of residents, and the management of the properties, and she had dealt with several complaints from there. I'm just guessing, that her job is to keep people from contacting the NCDHHS if possible.
The system is broken. People are suffering from lack of care, and some, like Mom are dying. There is a huge wall built between the general public, and the extremely wealthy owners of these properties. They have no fear of being held accountable for what happens at their homes. Why should they worry, they have at least one of their own on the committee at NCDHHS. How can you expect any complaints to be "substantiated" when they are investigating themselves? Is this corruption, you decide.

Definition of Corruption:
1.Lack of integrity or honesty (especially susceptibility to bribery); use of a position of trust for dishonest gain
 2. In government it is when an elected representative makes decisions that are influenced by vested interest rather than their own personal or party ideological beliefs.
3. The act of corrupting or of impairing integrity, virtue, or moral principle; the state of being corrupted or debased; loss of purity or integrity; depravity; wickedness; impurity; bribery.

THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN!