My name is Debbie (Mazepa) Bouche. My mother, Mary Mazepa, was a 90 year old patient-resident in a Portage, Indiana nursing home where she was seriously injured. Despite her advanced age, my family believes her injury directly attributed to her death 7 weeks later. 

Mary received her injury sometime between 6 PM and 8:30 AM the next morning. Neither the attending evening nurse nor certified nursing assistant (CNA) reported an accident or cared for the wound during the night. Mary was found injured in her bed by the day shift nurse. The decision to send her to emergency services at a local hospital took over 2 hours. 

The extent of her injury was a head laceration caused by blunt trauma resulting in a gaping gash on the left side of her forehead. Given the location and nature of her injury, the hospital called Adult Protective Services leading to a police investigation. 

The attending evening nurse under the advice of her lawyer refused to provide any details about Mary's injury unless provided immunity from prosecution. The nursing home management suspended the evening nurse and CNA, but could not give any reason for the cause of the injury. 

Mary's diminished physical capabilities, leg braces, and use of bed rails makes the likelihood of a bed fall improbable. If she fell from a wheelchair she would have been unable to return to bed without the assistance of at least 2 people. The bed sheets had been removed, no linens were on her bed, and there was no blood splatter in her room. 

A complaint was filed with the Indiana State Department of Health that resulted in another investigation. The nursing home was cited for a number of violations and corrective actions were recorded in the state's report. The police investigation did not produce any evidence of abuse, and it is inconclusive that Mary's injury was connected to her death. 

As of today, no one can tell me how my mother suffered her injury. I've been unsuccessful at obtaining an attorney and creating a civil case due to a lack of remedy. I realize that accidents happen, but it is unacceptable that an event of this nature goes without explanation. A lack of answers has left me devastated, and I want to fight to make sure that no other family has to endure these circumstances.

Consumers currently have no ability  to discover unexplained/unreported injuries, deaths, or deaths due to injury prior to choosing a nursing home for their loved ones. It is unacceptable that nursing homes can get away with not explaining incidents, such as my mother's, that take place at their facilities where we entrust them with the care of those who depend on it. 

The Indiana General Assembly is currently considering legislation, Senate Bill No. 316, authored by Senator Edward Charbonneau that establishes a publicly accessible registry of nursing home complaints maintained by the Indiana State Department of Health. 

I am asking you for your support. 

By signing this petition, you are supporting Senator Charbonneau and Indiana's use of a state-maintained registry of facilities' substantiated reports of unexplained injuries, deaths, and deaths due to injury. Our goal is to provide the public with the disclosures necessary to make an educated decision as to where their loved ones will receive the proper care and treatment they need. 

We are looking at this as a preventative measure so that nursing homes are held accountable for their actions, or lack thereof. 

The full legislation can be found at http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2016/bills/senate/316/

Thank you for your help. 

Summary of Senate Bill No. 316:

1. The name of the facility shall be placed on a publicly accessible database maintained by the state of Indiana, "Mary's List," identifying those facilities that have ongoing investigations involving abuse, neglect, gross incompetence, unreported and unexplained injuries, unreported and unexplained deaths, and unreported and unexplained deaths resulting from a fall.

2. The company will be required to provide full disclosure to new patient-residents before admitting them into their facilities. 

3. Once an investigation provides conclusive results, the facilities' names will be removed from Mary's List.