Etowah, TN Nursing Home Abuse Halts Admissions
Etowah Health Care Center, a 120-bed nursing home in Etwoah, TN, has been ordered by Tennessee Department of Health to cease admissions after alleged physical nursing home abuse by one female nursing home staff member. Fines against the nursing home for violating residents’ rights have been levied and local investigations into the criminal abuse concluded. Tennessee Department of Health officials have assigned a special monitor to review the Etowah, TN nursing home’s operations.
The abuse charges are being made against 37 year-old Joyce Stanley, a certified nursing assistant who allegedly struck a blind nursing home resident with a clipboard and an incontinence pad. It is alos alleged that the resident was slapped and had her hair pulled, though it is unclear from reports when these incidents of abuse occurred. Stanley has been charged by local police with willful and physical abuse and fired from the nursing home.
The abused patient is reported as having suffered no lasting physical harm. Since the nursing home receives Medicare, Medicaid, and VA patients, federal authorities are also conducting a federal investigation of the Tennessee nursing home. No confirmation as of this writing if corrective measures have been taken against other nursing home employees who failed to immediately report the abuse.
Again, as in other nursing home abuse cases Tennessee Law Blog has reported, other nursing home staff was complicit with, or at least kept quiet about, the alleged abuse.
For more information on Tennessee nursing home abuse law, contact our Nashville law offices online or call us at 800-705-2121 for a free consultation with Higgins Firm attorneys to discuss your legal options.
Author Bio
Jim Higgins, founder of the Higgins Firm, is a seasoned personal injury attorney with deep roots in Nashville, Tennessee. A 4th generation Nashvillian, Jim carries on the legal legacy of his father, a judge for over 30 years. After graduating from the University of Memphis School of Law, Jim’s career began on the other side of the courtroom, defending insurance companies and learning their tactics for minimizing settlements. However, he soon realized his true calling was fighting for the rights of the injured, and for the past several years, he has exclusively represented plaintiffs in personal injury cases.
Since then, his dedication and skill have earned him membership in the prestigious Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an organization limited to attorneys who have secured million and multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements for their clients. Licensed to practice in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia, Jim focuses on personal injury, product liability, medical malpractice, and workers’ compensation cases. His exceptional work has been recognized by his peers, earning him a spot on the Super Lawyers list from 2021 to 2024, a distinction awarded to only a select group of accomplished attorneys in each state.
