February 8, 2006

A Nursing Home in Greene County is facing a lawsuit. They're being accused of allegedly abusing and neglecting residents there and in one case one person died.

The Virginia Department Office of Protection and Advocacy, VOPA, is suing the Evergreene Nursing Care Center for allegedly providing poor care to its patients.

VOPA, which handles abuse cases, claims the center's staff mistreated patients there between October of 2004 and June 2005. Some of the accusations include: failing to give patients proper medication, altering medical records, and a wrongful death claim in which employees allegedly failed to perform CPR on a patient because they were sleeping on the job. The patient later died. Attorneys for Evergreene deny most of the allegations.

In a statement their attorney Peter Mellette said "We think the facility is providing care that meets federal and state standards and we think the case should be dismissed".

According to the lawsuit attorneys with VOPA are moving to have the nursing home impose stricter guidelines that would help prevent any further abuse.

Evergreene's motion to have the case dismissed is expected to go before the court February 14 and of course we will continue to follow this story.