Former Residents, Families File Suit Against Vallejo Nursing Home for Alleged ‘Transfer Trauma’

About 75 former residents of the Vallejo-based Sereno Care Center or their families have filed a class-action lawsuit against Horizon West Inc., the owner of the nursing home, for alleged "flagrant and systematic" violations of state laws drafted to protect nursing home residents transferred to other facilities, the Contra Costa Times reports. The lawsuit alleges that the 75 Sereno residents suffered "transfer trauma" in a move to other facilities after Sereno closed last year. Two of the residents died "shortly after" the transfers, and the lawsuit alleges that Horizon West acted with "flagrant, conscious disregard" for their safety. Horizon West officials did not comment on the lawsuit, the Times reports. Last year, the Department of Health Services fined Sereno for a failure to "make required medical assessments of patients prior to transfer" but did not move to block the transfers questioned in the lawsuit, department spokesperson Ken August said. Sen. Deborah Ortiz (D-Sacramento) has proposed a bill (SB 1824) that would strengthen state laws on nursing home patient transfers. The Senate passed the legislation in May (Peele, Contra Costa Times, 7/12).