New Bedford nursing home in crisis as paychecks bounce

April 23-- Apr. 23--NEW BEDFORD -- Bounced paychecks and unpaid bills have thrown a New Bedford nursing home into crisis.

Paychecks have been late for the last two pay periods at Bedford Gardens in the city's far North End. When Friday's pay finally arrived on Monday, checks began bouncing, director Steven Haase said.

"Each day that these paychecks don't clear, who is going to take care of my patients?" he said.

Nurses' aides have left in such numbers, that on Easter Sunday, Haase felt he had no choice but to close the third floor. Patients were moved downstairs.

"It came to the point where I didn't feel it was safe," he told The Standard-Times in a frank one-on-one interview in his office Monday.

Each aide is now responsible for 18 to 20 patients, which is double the normal range, he said. Bedford Gardens has 75 patients.

"I'm really worried for their welfare," he said.

According to Haase, four other local nursing homes in the chain -- two in New Bedford, one in Fall River and one in Dighton -- are dealing with the same paycheck problems. About 350 employees are affected across the five locations.

Some patients at Bedford Gardens are living three to a room, and a married couple that lived together on the third floor are now in separate rooms.

Patient Gary Reid, 51, entered the facility about six weeks ago. He has lung problems and nerve damage. If his oxygen tube falls out at night, his blood oxygen can drop dangerously low.

Reid said it's common to wait between 10 and 40 minutes for an aide to answer the call button.

"Some of the staff here is awesome, but there's often not enough staff, and the response times get ridiculous," he said.

Because of the high turnover, Bedford Gardens is relying heavily on workers from outside staffing agencies, who may not be acclimated to the facility, he said.

In addition to Bedford Gardens Care & Rehabilitation Center, the other nursing homes involved are Bedford Village Care & Rehabilitation Center and Rockdale Care & Rehabilitation Center, both in New Bedford; Dighton Care & Rehabilitation Center in Dighton; and Highland Manor Care & Rehabilitation Center in Fall River.

U.S. government records indicate that Joseph Schwartz holds 100 percent ownership in all but Rockdale. Schwartz is one of two owners listed for Rockdale, with no percentage given.

According to Haase, Schwartz is the same Joseph Schwartz who owns Skyline Healthcare, which made headlines last year for reportedly failing to make payroll at other nursing homes in Kansas and Nebraska.

Haase said Vero Health Management, which was trying to buy the facility, brought him on as executive director in January. When the sale fell through, the ownership remained with Schwartz, who appointed an operator of the local facilities, he said.

The Standard-Times attempted to reach the operator by cell phone, but the voice mailbox was not accepting messages Monday.

Haase said he has no other contact information for the company. He said he has been in frequent communication with the Department of Public Health.

At DPH, spokeswoman Marybeth McCabe said the agency is monitoring the situation to ensure that residents' needs are being met. She said residents or their families who believe their needs are not being met can contact their local long-term care ombudsman. In New Bedford, that's Coastline Elderly Services, 508-999-6400 and in Dighton and Fall River, it's Bristol Elder Services, 508-675-2101.

Barbara Pavao, 79, who was separated from her husband when the third floor closed, said things really started getting bad about six weeks ago. With few workers on duty, she waited an hour to be taken off a bedpan, she said.

Haase said investigators from Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey's office visited the facility on Monday, looking for information about its financial management. Healey's office does not confirm or deny ongoing investigations.

Last October, a nurse who worked at Bedford Gardens discovered she owed $16,000 to the hospital where she gave birth because the owner did not pay the health insurance premiums, Haase said.

Vendors large and small have gone unpaid, he said.

During his interview with The Standard-Times, Hasse's phone rang. He took the call.

"I don't have any update on that bill yet," he told the caller. "It's not looking good."

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