Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, recently rebranded to Wecare at Penn Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, is in Pittsburgh, PA. This large Pittsburgh nursing home facility has been hit with multiple violations in the last three years due to a history of poor treatment and neglect of its residents.
If you or your loved one has suffered mistreatment at Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Pittsburgh, it’s essential to act quickly and report suspected abuse as soon as possible. Contact our nursing home abuse lawyers for a free case review to determine your legal options.
Quick Overview
- Current Facility Name: Wecare at Penn Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
- Previous Facility Name: Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
- Address: 909 West Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15221
- CMS Overall Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
- CMS Health Inspection Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
- CMS Staffing Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
- CMS Quality Measures Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
- Federal Fines in Last 3 Years: 4 fines totaling $112,982
- Payment Denials by Medicare in the Last 3 Years: 0 denials
- Total Bed Capacity: 126
- Ownership Type: For-Profit Corporation [1}
Facility Overview
Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, rebranded in November last year to Wecare at Penn Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. Its legal name is Pennwood Operating LLC.
The nursing home is a sizeable for-profit facility that provides 24-hour short-term and long-term care for individuals who need intensive care with everyday life tasks. Medicare is currently accepted. This rehabilitation center LLC is nestled in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
This PA nursing home is part of a retirement community but is not associated with a hospital. Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, which has been in operation since 1992, has a poor track record of resident care. PA facilities have been slammed with over $100,000 in federal fines within the last three years. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has also sanctioned the PA facility for poor performance. Pennsylvania residents made this PA nursing home the subject of a lawsuit for violating residents’ civil rights.
CMS Ratings and Performance
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provides star ratings for all facilities that accept government benefits, such as Medicaid. The rating includes an overall rating and three subsections based on health inspections, staffing, and quality measures.
Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Pennsylvania has a 1-star review. The health inspection rating is 1 out of 5 stars due to numerous severe deficiencies in inspection reports. On the staffing segment, it received 3 out of 5 stars; its quality measures rating was 2 out of 5 stars.
Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has been fined four times, totaling $112,982, for life-threatening risks to resident safety, including sanitation issues. US News and World Report notes that Medicare has closely monitored this Pittsburgh nursing home for its poor performance record.
Services Provided
Treatment available at Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center LLC includes:
- Hospice care
- IV therapy
- Psychiatric and psychological treatment
- Speech, physical, and occupational therapy
- Medication management
- Dietary management
- Podiatry
- Dental care
- Vocational services
Violations and Citations
Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center LLC has been issued several serious violations, including the following.
Sexual Abuse – In August 2023, a PA female resident at the nursing home was sexually abused by a male resident, who put his hand up her shirt. Administrative errors delayed reporting the abuse, putting others in this Pittsburgh nursing home at risk.
Pressure Ulcers – A June 2023 inspection of the rehabilitation center llc cited the nursing home after residents developed pressure ulcers due to inadequate care from nurses. Nurses failed to complete the physician’s orders for additional wound care, leading to further complications.
Residents Choking – The same June 2023 report for the nursing home noted that at least one resident choked on food until her lips turned blue. The situation was never included in the nurses’ incident reports.
Medication Errors – Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation staff failed to administer medications for an end-stage renal disease patient. Nursing home staff also did not lock up medications to prevent errors.
Unsanitary Facilities – A visit to the nursing home from a health inspector in August 2022 found that numerous vents in the facility were covered with a “fuzzy brown substance” on the cover that may have contributed to respiratory issues in residents. In September 2021, it was found that plaster throughout the facility was falling off the walls, and there was rusty metal in the elevators. The rehabilitation center llc had water damage and sticky patches on the ground.
Impact on Residents
Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, also known as Wecare at Penn Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, has put residents at significant risk of severe injury or death due to negligence. For example, individuals who developed pressure ulcers in multiple body parts because of neglect while residents at the nursing home. The situation at the rehabilitation center llc was discussed in the 2023 report.
Pittsburgh nursing homes must protect those under their care from environmental hazards and others. A rehabilitation center llc must determine ways to keep everyone safe, primarily if a resident is known for aggressive behavior. The August 2023 incident, where a female resident was sexually abused by another person, led to severe trauma for the victim and could have been avoided by better oversight.
Those living at Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center LLC may feel neglected and unsafe, especially if they witness instances of resident-on-resident abuse but see no one intervening to protect victims.
Legal Rights and Actions
Suppose you or your family member has been neglected or abused at Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Pittsburgh, PA, or any other nursing home. In that case, you have the right to pursue legal action against the perpetrators, which may include staff members and administration.
Pennsylvania state law gives nursing home residents certain rights, including the right to adequate food, freedom from abuse, and the right to receive visitors. When facilities impinge upon these rights, they can be subject to fines, citations, and lawsuits.
Our nursing home abuse lawyers take all allegations seriously and will investigate all potential avenues of legal action. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation about nursing home neglect at Pennwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center LLC, aka Wecare at Penn Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.
[1] Medicare