The nursing home neglect lawyers at Williams Attorneys are investigating a COVID–19 outbreak at the Arden Place nursing home in Grapevine, Texas. According to our sources, the nursing home allowed COVID-positive patients to wander throughout the facility. Now others have been infected and several have reportedly died.
We are still investigating this claim and hope to speak to employees, residents and the families of families who may have died or been seriously impacted because of coronavirus contracted while at the Arden Place home.
What We Know about Arden Place
Arden Place of Grapevine is a 128 bed for-profit nursing home located at 1500 Autumn Drive in Grapevine, Texas.
Medicare gives the facility an overall rating of just one star, “Much Below Average.” Its staffing is also rated by Medicare as much below average while its health inspections and quality measures are also below average.
We have reviewed the most recent full inspection reports obtained from the government. What we read is frightening. From what we know from these reports, Arden Place has a problem with staffing. In our experience, not enough staff is one of the largest causes of coronavirus outbreaks and other healthcare problems such as bedsores and falls.
The primary fault here lies with the admins who are focused more on profits than patients. The men and women who are working on the front lines of nursing homes are often good people and not to blame. The admins are the ones who can increase training and pay, purchase personal protective equipment and not stretch staff thin.
A Kaiser Family Foundation study found that 1 in 3 nursing homes lacked proper staff and / or PPE. That is not a good way to prevent a coronavirus outbreak within a home.
We have also been told that the administration at Arden Place is not segregating COVID-positive patients from others. If true, the combination of poor staffing and no quarantine is a recipe for disaster. Although death rates from COVID are typically in the single digits, nursing home residents are much more vulnerable and have a high mortality rate if they become infected with coronavirus.
As we write this post, America still remains in the grips of the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, Texas and California seem to be breaking daily records for the numbers of new coronavirus infections. Many nursing homes have become the epicenter of the pandemic. In some facilities, the death toll exceeds 100 residents.
The latest information we have from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services is dated October 30th. At that time, Arden Place of Grapevine had reported 1 employee with an active case of coronavirus (15 total employees since the pandemic began) and 3 current COVID 19 positive patients. No one had died, although we have been told there have now been 3 deaths.
A Second Wave of Nursing Home Deaths?
One COVID-19 Case Can Infect 50% of Nursing Home Residents “in a Matter of Hours”
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is sounding the alarm about another wave of nursing home infections.
According to CMS Administrator Seema Verma, the number of virus cases in nursing homes in early spring was about 11,000 a week. By the end of June, that number dropped to 6,300 per week. Now in November, the numbers are surging again.
Even though several new promising treatments have been rolled out, Verma says that “losses” are still increasing. Loss is bureaucratic speak for death.
"This is not just a testing issue or a supply issue,” said Verna. “Our deep concern is that even in nursing homes that are doing testing reguarly, we are still seeing significant spread." She also said that one case in a home could spread to half the residents “in a matter of hours.”
Medicare says this year’s deficiencies for infection control are up 300%. We think it’s more likely that inspectors are no longer willing to look the other way.
CMS is suddenly trying to make up for lost time. Recently the agency reported it fined 3,400 nursing homes more than $15.5 million for either infection control violations or not properly alerting authorities to COVID-19 outbreaks.
In 2018, Arden Place was cited for not alerting a family about a sudden change in a resident’s health. Have things changed since then? We wonder.
Overall, many nursing homes’ response to the coronavirus pandemic has been too little, too late. In a meeting with nursing home administrators on August 20th, Verma said, CMS will “continue to urge states and governors to fight fiercely for nursing home residents, to vigilantly oversee facilities, and to fulfill the needs of nursing homes as it relates to testing and other needed supplies.” We hope so and especially hope it is not too late for the folks at Arden Place.
Seeking Arden Place at Grapevine Patients or Employees
We are currently investigating an allegation of poor patient care at Arden Place. To better determine if this complaint and allegation are true, we are asking to speak with residents, their families and past or present employees. This is an investigation - we have not yet filed a nursing home neglect complaint and are not aware of any charges against Arden Place.
Any information we gather from employees will be kept confidential and not used without permission.
Information for Patients
We are a Texas law firm that understands the specialized needs of our older and disabled clients. If you believe that a loved one has died or suffered because of coronavirus exposure at Arden Place of Grapevine, our thoughts and prayers are with you. To learn more, visit our nursing home abuse and neglect information page. Ready to see if you have a case, call us at (361) 866-5535 or email us at sean@