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Nursing home charged in cover-up scandal

LTC Liability Monitor, March 31, 2004

A suburban Pittsburgh nursing home that allegedly covered up the cause of death of an Alzheimer's resident will have its day in court, a judge ordered this week.

Martha Fenchak-Bell, president of the now-defunct Ronald Reagan Atrium 1 Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, was held for trial on charges of involuntary manslaughter, neglect of a care-dependent person, conspiracy, and reckless endangerment, according to the Associated Press (AP). Fenchak-Bell is also president of the home's nonprofit owner, Alzheimer's Disease Alliance of Western Pennsylvania, which faces similar charges.

Investigators believe the resident wandered outside, fell, and died of a combination of heart failure and exposure. Fenchak-Bell allegedly ordered a supervisor to have the resident's body carried back inside and to falsify records to make it appear that the resident died in her sleep. The supervisor faces charges of perjury, conspiracy, and tampering with evidence, AP reported.

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