Reporting here is a part of New Mexico Political Report’s ongoing series exploring the quality of care available to New Mexicans through the state’s public and private healthcare system. Follow our series for more on the changing landscape of ownership, profits and health impacts on the system. Read more here.
Reported by: Kevin Hendricks, NM Political Report
This report is original reporting by a New Mexico-based independent journalist with support NMreports.org and its readers and sponsors.
Lawsuit accuses San Juan County Genesis Healthcare facility of negligence, unfair practices
A family has filed a lawsuit against Bloomfield Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and its parent company, Genesis Healthcare, alleging the facility housed patients in a facility that never met basic staffing levels which resulted in severe neglect and multiple injuries to their elderly relative.
In July, the son of the patient filed the complaint in San Juan County’s 11th Judicial District Court seeking damages for negligence, unfair trade practices and punitive damages against the facility and its corporate operators. NM Political Report does not publicly identify persons suffering from healthcare conditions without their consent.
The lawsuit alleges the patient, who resided at the facility from July 2022 to October 2024, suffered multiple serious injuries, including hip and wrist fractures, repeated urinary tract infections and severe pain due to inadequate staffing and substandard care.
Court documents reveal the facility consistently failed to meet federal staffing requirements throughout Jones’ stay. The complaint states Bloomfield averaged only 1.78 hours of nurse aide care per resident daily, well below the 2.8 hours, and provided just 0.38 hours of registered nurse care compared to the required 0.75 hours.
The facility failed to meet minimum care thresholds for 95% of the patient’s 821-day stay, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services cited in the complaint.
The facility’s parent company, Genesis Healthcare, entered bankruptcy in July.
After taking in a private equity investor in 2011 and receiving more than $655 million in government Covid grants, the company paid its executives bonuses worth more than $5 billion while failing to meet minimum federal nursing staffing level recommendations established by the federal government.
This summer, Genesis told the court it is incurring $8 million per month in new settlement and litigation costs nationwide related to inadequate care allegations, in addition to more than $259 million in malpractice claims it is already required to pay.
The largest of those listed in the first court filings is $2.9 million set aside for settlement and litigation costs defending a wrongful death suite brought by survivors of a Genesis resident in Albuquerque represented by the Parnall and Adams law firm in Albuquerque. That case is set for trial in 2026.
The lawsuit details multiple state health department citations against the facility between 2022 and 2024, including failures to assess residents properly, ensure adequate staffing, prevent infections and maintain professional care standards.
Despite these documented problems, the complaint alleges Genesis Healthcare continued operating the facility with insufficient resources while prioritizing profits over patient safety.
The complaint states Jones suffered multiple falls resulting in a hip fracture requiring surgery and a wrist fracture. Hospital records show he developed recurring urinary tract infections and experienced dehydration during his stay.
Representatives for Genesis Healthcare and the Bloomfield facility could not immediately be reached for comment. The case seeks unspecified monetary damages and is pending in district court along with at least a dozen others against Genesis facilities in New Mexico, but the company’s bankruptcy filing could limit the assets available to compensate victims.
The law firm representing the Serna family referred our newsroom to the complaint in court.
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Private equity, public harm: Genesis seeks bankruptcy to avoid accountability for staffing, neglect and deaths in New Mexico nursing homes
After a private equity cash-out and paying millions in CEO bonuses, Genesis Health tells a bankruptcy court it can’t afford to pay $259 million in malpractice costs