MDH Report Faults New Hope Nursing Home For Man’s Death

 
A state Department of Health investigation has found fault with a New Hope nursing home facility in the death of one of its patients.

The patient was staying at North Ridge Health and Rehabilitation when he died last April. According to the investigation, the patient was given a dosage of the painkiller oxycodone that was 20 times too strong.

In the report’s findings, the nurse who administered the drug told an investigator that “she did not verify the concentration and dose of the oxycodone administered because she was very busy with multiple patients.” The report also found that North Ridge didn’t have proper procedures in place for administering high risk medications.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the patient as Gary Schmidt, 53, of Plymouth. Schmidt was at North Ridge for short-term rehabilitation while receiving treatment for cancer, chronic pain and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

North Ridge was ordered to pay an undisclosed fine and has since made corrections to its procedures for administering medications, the report said.

New Hope