Santa Fe New Mexican Features Story about Harvey Law Firm Clients
This week, the Santa Fe New Mexican featured a story about two pending lawsuits against Santa Fe nursing homes operated by Texas-based nursing home corporation Cathedral Rock. The article featured interviews with Harvey Law Firm owner, Dusti Harvey, and her clients, the family of Mary Abeyta.
Ms. Abeyta died in March 2008 at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center at the age of 84. “[T]he family claims the stitches in her forehead, pressure sores on her tailbone as well as dehydration, weight loss and malnutrition were the fault of the nursing home.”
“It’s difficult to put someone you love in a nursing home," said Laura Jean Abeyta, a St. Michael's grad who works as a juvenile probation officer in Española. "She was our gift, we trusted this place to take care of her."
The story also featured interviews with Regional Ombudsman Gail Trotter and U.S. attorney Dorothy McMurty, who handled the criminal case in Missouri against Cathedral Rock, which I discussed in a previous post.
McMurtry, Harvey and Trotter all emphasized the importance of family vigilance. "The best nursing home is the one closest to your home," said Harvey. Trotter meanwhile urged family and residents to “speak up, tell somebody what's going on."
The story also contains links to the following helpful websites:
- New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Care Ombudsman's Office
- National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care
- Department of Health
- Medicare/Medicaid Nursing Home ratings website
