Springville nursing home cited for violations after resident dies

Jul. 22--State health inspectors cited the Jennie B. Richmond Chaffee Nursing Home in Springville for causing "actual harm" by providing substandard care to a resident who died shortly after he was taken to a hospital emergency room last spring.

The Department of Health did not say the nursing home caused the unidentified patient's death, but it indicated there were delays in calling for a registered nurse and the facility's physician after the man's condition deteriorated.

That included an erratic pulse, vomiting, incontinence and "grayish" skin coloring, according to the report compiled by inspectors. They initiated their review after the Health Department was notified on April 5 of the man's death.

"The licensed practical nurses [LPN #1, #2] did not notify or consult with a registered nurse or physician regarding the resident's change in condition until approximately 7:30 a.m. The resident was transferred to the emergency room and pronounced dead at 9:22 a.m," the state inspectors wrote in their report.

The state cited the nursing home for lack of quality of care, administration of unnecessary drugs and incomplete medical records and it recommended that the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services fine the facility.

Allysa L. Olsen, the nursing home's administrator, said the facility paid a "civil penalty," but declined to further discuss the fine. A listing of the fine amount, which is public record, could not be found, but there are often delays in posting fines on the Centers' website.

"We took corrective measures and are in satisfactory compliance with Health Department regulations at this time," Olsen said.

Corrective actions were taken by the nursing home as of May 10, according to the state report. That included suspension of the two licensed practical nurses, who, in order to return to work, would have to first undergo in-service training.

The training, according to the state, would "include importance of vital signs, policy and procedure for RN [registered nurse] assessment, notifying physician for changes of condition, supplemental documentation as it relates to medication administration and the documentation in the electronic health record."

Jennie B. Richmond Chaffee Nursing Home has an overall one-star rating, the lowest federal ranking for a nursing home.

Appointed as the administrator last March, Olsen said it is her goal to improve the nursing home's ratings.

The 80-bed facility operates as a nonprofit corporation on the Bertrand Chaffee Hospital campus.

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