Inside complaints of neglect an suffering at Riverside Health and Rehab

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – A place meant to heal is actually a place of pain, suffering and even death—all that potentially could have been prevented. That’s what a months-long Live 5 Investigation found with the hundreds of documents we uncovered showing complaints of neglect, filth, missing money and even bugs at Riverside Health and Rehab in North Charleston.
“Where in the world did they put my mom?” Bridget Walker said. “I was afraid at that point.”
It took only a few days after her mom was admitted and a few hours after Walker’s first visit that she whisked her mother out of the 160-bed skilled nursing facility. That short time, however, made a big difference, Walker said.
“It was time wasted,” she said. “I think it prolonged her process in getting better.”
Her mother’s life-threatening infection grew worse, and Walker’s distress grew too. Her mom didn’t receive the critical medicine she needed, Walker said, and the alarming conditions at Riverside only fed her fears.
“In the bed where the railing was supposed to be, it had bug residue on it,” Walker said. “The room had roaches. It’s inhumane. I don’t think the facility should remain open. Needles were lying around. It’s not healthy for anyone who’s sick to stay there.”
Live 5 Investigates sifted through hundreds of pages of lawsuits, complaints, correction plans, incident reports, law enforcement calls and other documents. It took us months to get these records, and once we did, it painted an even uglier truth hidden behind closed doors: Walker’s family isn’t the only one who has watched their loved one decline at Riverside.
Instead, the documents we uncovered point to a problematic nursing home where many families feel their relatives are leaving worse than when they arrived—or not leaving at all.
A look inside the documents
A records request through the South Carolina Department of Public Health returned hundreds of pages of documents, including complaints filed with the state against Riverside, as well as action the department and other federal departments took following the complaints.
“Residents lay on a dry pad but underneath pad bed wet with urine or feces,” one complaint reads. “There are bugs crawling throughout the facility. There are not adequate amounts of basic supplies.”
The Department of Public Health cited Riverside for that complaint.
The facility was also cited after a different complaint was filed with the state that accused a nurse of saying to a patient, “I’m not taking s—- from you anymore. You will not die on my watch. You are being a b—-.”
As part of an investigation through the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, these federal agencies cited Riverside after thousands of dollars went missing from one resident’s account for expenses their family never approved.
“Based on record reviews, facility investigation, and interviews, the facility failed to perform a complete and thorough investigation regarding missing funds from all resident trust fund accounts subsequent to substantiating that $7,900 was missing from resident trust fund account,” one document states.
A place meant to heal is actually a place of pain, suffering and even death—all that potentially could have been prevented. That’s what a months-long Live 5 Investigation found with the hundreds of documents we uncovered showing complaints of neglect, filth, missing money and even bugs at Riverside Health and Rehab in North Charleston. (Live 5)
Another complaint with the state alleges there were maggots in a patient’s wound, though Riverside was not cited after the complaint was investigated. That same complaint with the SC Department of Health states that often a “patient’s catheter bag is so full that the urine is backed all the way up the tube.”
Dozens of medical malpractice, wrongful death and personal injury lawsuits have also been filed against Riverside over the years, some even arguing Riverside’s negligence is the reason their loved one died.
One lawsuit argues a former patient, “passed away after suffering months of horrifying conditions created by [Riverside’s parent company] including falls, a neck fracture, pressure ulcers, dehydration, and infections. The months before her death were agonizing.”
The company settled many of these lawsuits, but some were dismissed and some are still pending.
Staffing at the center of the problems, records show
A central issue woven throughout all these documents is a staffing shortage, as well as issues with the employees that Riverside does have. It’s something the SC Department of Public Health has cited the facility for, and it’s something Sherlonda Williams faces daily when she visits her aunt there, she says.
“If I don’t come, I don’t believe that she’ll be well taken care of,” Williams says. “It’s heartbreaking.”
Our investigation uncovered that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found on multiple occasions that Riverside didn’t have the number of staff required by law, didn’t implement proper safety protocols and didn’t administer medicine to patients.
“It doesn’t surprise me because they don’t have the staff,” Williams says. “They don’t have help, so sometimes you see one [certified nursing assistant] for the whole floor.”
Medicare gave Riverside one of five stars overall based on health inspections, staffing and quality measures.
There’s also a nearly 65 percent staff turnover rate, compared to the national and state average of 49 percent, Medicare reports show. That’s coupled with 170 percent more residents at Riverside compared to the national average.
“Twenty-something patients for one person is a lot, and that’s negligent,” Williams says. “They’re not being well taken care of, and that is unfair to the patients and their safety.”
Serious concerns among officials, families
At one point, documents from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services show South Carolina officials detailed serious concerns about Riverside in March 2024.
“State Agency (SA) determined that the facility’s non-compliance with one or more federal health, safety, and/or quality regulations has caused or was likely to cause serious injury, serious harm, serious impairment, or death,” federal documents read.
Walker echoed these serious concerns.
“If you have someone that has a stage four wound infection, that could be detrimental to their health, to their life,” she said. “Your loved one could be taken away from you in a matter of seconds.”
The clock was ticking for Walker’s mother, but now in a new facility, she’s seeing better progress.
A response from Riverside Health and Rehab
In an email, Patty Castle, the Licensed Nursing Home Administrator at Riverside, says:
“Riverside Health & Rehab strives to provide quality and compassionate care to its residents. For some of our residents, therapy is an important part of their care plan. When a physician orders therapy for a resident, our therapy team develops an individualized plan of care designed to help the resident meet those treatment goals. Another important aspect of the care we provide is maintaining a clean and comfortable living environment. Our housekeeping and maintenance staff work hard every day to keep the facility clean for our residents, families and community. As part of our efforts to maintain the facility, we contract with a pest control service for routine treatments inside and outside the facility while our maintenance department monitors for any additional service needs.
We recognize that from time to time issues may arise, which is why we have a formal grievance system in place that provides us the opportunity to address concerns with our residents and family members. We believe this system not only benefits our residents and families, but also benefits our facility as it enables us to identify areas of improvement so we can provide the quality care our residents deserve.”
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