East Windsor Nursing Home Faces Care Complaints

EAST WINDSOR, CT — Connecticut’s long-term care ombudsman and two lawmakers are raising concerns about care at Fresh River Healthcare after a complaint included images and video of a resident’s maggot-infested head wound. The facility’s operator has defended its care.

Ombudsman Mairead Painter appeared with Sen. Saud Anwar and Rep. Jane Garibay Oct. 15, according to an official statement released by Senate Democrats.

“We have received dozens of complaints about this facility over the last few years with many still unresolved,” Painter said in the statement.

Painter alleged inadequate staff intervention, poor care documentation and staffing below state requirements.

Fresh River is a 134-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation center at 96 Prospect Hill Road, according to operator iCare Health Network.

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Operator Defends Care

CT Insider reported that iCare spokesman David Skoczulek defended the resident’s treatment, saying he had been closely followed by nurses and received multiple wound-care appointments.

Skoczulek also said the company’s homes meet state staffing requirements, according to CT Insider. The outlet reported that the Department of Public Health declined to comment on open investigations.

Those responses were obtained by CT Insider. Patch has not independently reviewed the resident’s medical records or verified the competing staffing claims.

Resident Council Raised Concerns

The statement says the ombudsman’s office filed six staffing complaints. The latest followed a resident council report that people were left unattended for hours in dining and lounge areas.

The statement describes complaints and the ombudsman’s allegations; it is not a final Department of Public Health enforcement finding.

Residents and families can find information about raising care concerns through the Connecticut Long Term Care Ombudsman Program.

For more Northern Connecticut news, follow Patch editor Jay Kenney.