I’ve been tracking the saga of Dr. Salko and Peggy Rogers, the patient who died as a result of abuse and neglect (undiagnosed breast cancer) in his assisted living facility since it was first discovered. I’ve blogged on this tragedy many times:

August 6, 2007: Death in a Northeast Pennsylvania Assisted Living Facility

August 7, 2007:Death in a Northeast Pennsylvania Assisted Living Facility…There’s More!!

August 10, 2007:Pennsylvania DPW Tells Birch Hills Residence and Mallard Meadows NO NEW ADMISSIONS

August 19, 2007:Salko Saga at Birch Hills Continues to Shock

August 27, 2007:Birch Hills & Mallard Meadows Want Licenses Back: Not To Worry, the Fox is Guarding the Henhouse

September 23, 2007:Nursing Homes: Concerns Abound

October 16, 2007:Dr. Greg Salko/Birch Hills Update

Now we finally have news that the justice system is working. Vincent McGrath, the former administrator at Dr. Salko’s Birch HIlls assisted living facility was sentenced to three months of house arrest after he pleaded guilty to charges that he conspired to tamper with evidence. He’ll also serve a longer period of probation after this house arrest is completed.

McGrath’s sentence followed a guilty plea arising from his role in falsifying the medical records of Peggy Rogers, a 69 year old resident of Birch HIlls who died in 2006 as a result of undiagnosed breast cancer – despite records that indicated regular care which unquestionably should have diagnosed her condition much earlier.

I know that house arrest doesn’t sound like much, but the state charges agsinst the real culprit here, Dr. Greg Salko, are ongoing and federal charges against remain to be adjudicated.

Now here’s the real kicker. My in-laws live very close to this facility in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Whenever I visit them, I see the Birch HIlls billboard still luring people to move in to this facility. If only they would do a quick internet search on the history of this place.