“I have never seen such acts of heroism,” said Bristol Township Police Chief Charles Winick about the acts of courage immediately following the deadly explosion at the Silver Lake Nursing Home in Pennsylvania. The blast occurred Tuesday afternoon, causing the top floor to collapse into the basement, entrapping the residents. The suspected cause of the blast has been attributed to a leakage of gas, whose origin lies in the basement of the facility.
The deceased have since been identified as one of the female residents and 52 year old nurse Muthoni Nduthu, who was remembered by her sister as “an immigrant who came to make a difference in this country, and she did that.” Currently, 19 of the injured are still in hospital, with one in critical condition. First responders were met with shooting flames, falling debris, and the potential for more blasts.
Winik recalled the scenes of responders going into the building, despite the overwhelming smell of gas, extracting residents who could not walk or speak from the building. They were lifted out on the backs of responders, including a narcotics sergeant, who lifted out not one but two people at a time. Workers from Lower Bucks Hospital, a nearby hospital, got involved, providing a place for the evacuated residents, as well as helping to treat the hurricane victims. “When the time came for courage, our community responded,” Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick has said.
Add to the difficulties of the rescue process was the destruction of the building, which had one wing almost entirely knocked down, with the roof collapsed and walls gone. There was also a tremendous amount of debris littered about on the grounds, and people were found entrapped in stairways and elevator corridors, as well as in piles of rubble, by the responders. There was a secondary explosion, which made the rescue more dangerous during the evacuation process, but the firefighters were able to keep the flames from spreading.
As the investigation unfolds, concerns are now being raised about the facility’s record on patient and visitor safety. State health department inspections in October revealed a number of code violations, including failure to keep stairways free from obstructions, portable fire extinguishers, and required smoke barrier partitions. In addition, oxygen cylinders were being stored in the wrong manner, the facility had improper food handling practices, and the conditions were unsanitary.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data on Medicare.gov shows that the facility is “much below average,” having, on average, 24 adverse health citations, twice the national average, with over 200 complaints in three years, leading to code violations, resulting in a $400,000 fine last year. The nursing home, which under new ownership and management has been renamed the Bristol Health & Rehab Center, had been working with state administrators to address “longstanding problems” prior to the explosion.
The healthcare group connected with new management claimed that staff members quickly notified local gas company representatives of a gas odor and that PECO had been on location investigating gas odor and had turned off gas and electricity. Nursing home providers understand that safety is much more than a requirement; rather, it has the meaning “of or pertaining to a lifeline a string or cord used to pull up a boat or other craft in a port or at sea, thus facilitating its escape in time of danger or attack” (Harborside Healthcare Operations Corp., 2001).
Under federal statutes, Medicare or Medicaid certified nursing facilities are “required to have a plan to follow in the event of an actual or threatened natural or man-made disaster; to train staff on their responsibilities in carrying out their plan; and to conduct unannounced drill exercises to test their plan with unannounced drill exercises” (Healthcare Inspection, 2001, Scenario #1). Federal penalties for deficiency citations with regard to plans, identified as F-517, F-518, K-48, or K-50, could be “up to $10,000 per day or termination from Medicare/Medicaid if improvements are not made” (Healthcare Inspection, 2001, Scenario #1).
Yet according to current national data, with respect to the 94 percent of nursing homes which meet federal standards regarding the plan for emergencies, many facilities “lack identified evacuation routes or provide services tailored to meet residents’ individual needs” (Strategies to Safe Care, 2001). Indeed, “the psychological impact of a disaster or crisis to nursing home residents cannot be underestimated” (Strategies to Safe Care, 2001).
Prior tragedies, including those evacuated because of Hurricanes Katrina, have seen traceable ramifications in dehydration, depression, or health decline among those inside nursing facilities (Strategies to Safe Care, 2001). It has been identified that recovery requires “not only physical evacuation to a safe location but also emotional support to minimize psychological trauma, communication to keep families informed, and continuation of essential health services” (Strategies to Safe Care, 2001).
