When you’re in a drug rehab facility in Kentucky, you’re there because you need help with addiction. More to the point, you’re placing your recovery and overall health in the hands of the facility—specifically in the hands of the facility’s staff and caregivers. That obviously takes a huge investment in time and effort, one that sometimes has to be around-the-clock. So what happens when they fail to do that? Our team at Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC can answer your questions. Set up a free consultation today.
Do Rehab Facilities Have to Keep Patients Safe Around the Clock in Kentucky?
The short answer is yes. Drug rehab facilities in Kentucky legally have to make sure patients are kept safe 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Of course, there’s also a human side to all of this. The facility’s staff members—the actual people caring for you—can’t catch everything even if there’s constant monitoring. So, the question then becomes, what’s the extent of the monitoring that needs to happen to actually keep you and other patients safe?
How Do Rehab Facilities Actually Keep Patients Safe?
On one hand, no drug rehab facility in Kentucky can realistically watch over every single patient constantly. There’s simply too much to do. Regardless, this is the legal standard that these facilities have. What’s more, the facility gets to decide how they distribute their resources to make sure that happens. Typically, they do this by:
- Staffing. Everything starts here. Keeping you and other patients safe starts (and often ends) with the actual staff members tasked with watching you. But specifically, the facility keeps you safe by making sure that:
- Staff-to-patient ratios are met and kept up
- The facility always has shift coverage with no gaps
- There’s complete supervision during detox and treatment
- Regular patient check-ins are made and documented, including overnight
When this doesn’t happen—regardless of the reasoning—it’s easy to see how problems happen. When there’s not enough staff to the number of patients, it throws everything else off.
- Medical services they provide. This one sounds obvious, but is nonetheless important. Rehabs don’t just watch over you, they’re supposed to provide actual medical care and services. One way or the other, though, the facility has to make sure the actual care being provided is adequate. They typically do this by:
- Making sure there’s full intake evaluations
- Patients have individual detox or care plans
- Medication is strictly monitored, both for quantity and quality
- Doctors, nurses, and staff closely monitor symptoms of withdrawal
- There’s clear communication between medical staff and counselors
Not surprisingly, things go wrong when treatment is rushed, symptoms aren’t documented, or medication isn’t watched carefully in this environment.
- Security. This is another obvious one, but the actual security framework the facility uses is vital to your safety as a patient. It covers everything, but its foundation is in having:
- Staff trained to handle tense situations
- Clear guidelines for handling fights or altercations
- Controlled access to the building
- Safe monitoring of shared spaces
It’s not hard to see how not having the right security throws everything off. When the facility isn’t secure, problems come in and go out.
- Maintenance. This one gets overlooked, but is nonetheless very important to your safety and the safety of everyone else in the building. The actual physical condition of the building matters. And the facility has a legal duty to make sure there’s:
- Good lighting in hallways and bathrooms
- Strong handrails and safe flooring
- Protocols for cleaning spills or fixing broken tiles
- Safe sleeping arrangements for patients
- Working cameras and other security equipment
The bottom line is that a drug rehab facility is still a building, and maintenance is a vital part of keeping you safe. What’s more, though, all of these things work together. And one broken link in the chain or system puts you in danger.
Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC Can Help If You’re Hurt While in Drug Rehab in Kentucky
No matter what Kentucky drug rehab facility you’re in, you have certain expectations for how you should be treated and cared for. But it’s not just an expectation—it’s a legal protection. That means when something goes wrong and you get hurt because the facility didn’t monitor you, you have options that Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC can help you with.
Our Kentucky drug rehab facility negligence lawyers can:
- Look into your situation to see how negligence played a part in what happened.
- Help you gather the evidence you’ll need, like monitoring reports and staff logs.
- Handle all the talks with the facility and their insurance company.
- Guide you through the claims process to get financial support for your injuries.
A failure to properly and fully monitor you and other patients is at the bottom of a lot of negligence in a drug rehab facility. When that happens, reach out to our team for a free consultation to talk over your options.
