Coronavirus in Oregon Nursing Homes – Healthcare at Foster Creek

Updated 4/21/2020

Nursing homes always have a duty to provide a high degree of care for their residents. Now, that duty is more important than ever before. Unfortunately, some nursing homes aren’t doing everything they can to stop the spread of COVID-19, and in Portland, Healthcare at Foster Creek has come under scrutiny for numerous safety violations found by the Oregon Department of Human Services. 

Healthcare at Foster Creek Investigated Following COVID-19 Deaths

According to a report in The Oregonian (online), Healthcare at Foster Creek has become the site of one of the largest COVID-19 nursing home outbreaks: there are at least 50 confirmed cases of the disease amongst nursing home residents and staff. What’s more, there have been 14 coronavirus reported deaths of residents of the nursing home.

Following multiple COVID-19 deaths, the Department of Health and Human Services opened an investigation into Healthcare at Foster Creek. Its finding shows that the nursing home violated five state regulations; the report also includes documentation of 22 problems related to sanitation, safety, and best practices for infection control. Amongst some of the problems documented:

• The nursing home failing to supply enough personal protective equipment (PPE), including only giving staff one mask per day;
• The nursing home failing to provide infection control training to staff members;
• Staff members failing to wash their hands between interactions with different residents;
• The nursing home failing to check if staff who were coming to work had symptoms of coronavirus, including failing to check for fevers – a direct violation of federal guidelines and a state executive order; and
• Staff members failing to maintain social distancing requirements between colleagues and residents.

Read the full list of violations —> Safety-violations-at-Healthcare-at-Foster-Creek.

Legal Avenues for Recovery: Holding Nursing Homes Liable for Harm

Those who are age 55 and above – the ages of nearly all nursing home residents – are at an increased risk of severe complication and death should they contract the virus. Coronavirus deaths in nursing homes total more than 5,500, as of April 15, 2020.

Oregon Department of Human Services has released the following confirmed and pending cases of COVID-19 in Oregon nursing homes. At the present time, Laurelhurst Village in Portland has 38 reported infections and 4 deaths.

COVID-19 is highly contagious and, even when best practices are in place, stopping its spread can be difficult. However, simple practices–like implementing social distancing measures, washing hands frequently, and the proper use of PPE (personal protective equipment)–may indeed slow the spread and help to prevent infections.  Unfortunately, some nursing homes are failing to implement best practices, putting their residents at high risk.

If your loved one has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and has suffered severe complications as a result, including death, and you believe that a nursing home is to blame, you may have cause for a civil action. Nursing homes have a legal duty to exercise the highest duty of care when treating residents; if this duty is breached and a resident suffers harm as a direct result, the nursing home can be held liable and responsible for paying monetary damages. If you think that you have a case, we urge you to consult with an attorney immediately.

Call Our Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Attorneys Today

At the Johnston Law Firm, we know how devastating COVID-19 can be, and how tragic losing a loved one to the disease is. If you have questions about how to hold a nursing home liable for harm, please call our Oregon personal injury lawyers or send us a message directly for a free consultation. 

Call (503) 546-3167