Mold Growth at Iowa Nursing Home Facility the Last Straw?
Nelson Nursing Home in Fairfield, Iowa was a thirty-three year veteran in the nursing home industry. The facility closed recently and has relocated its forty-four residents.
In August 2008, an inspection of the facility revealed that many of the facility's window air conditioning units in the residents' rooms did not work. In fact, the inspection found that air conditioners in sixteen of the thirty-two rooms showed "significant and visible mold growth". The home had broken toilets, the units were dirty and poorly maintained, and there was evidence of "mold spores everywhere". Employees were also being paid approximately two weeks behind. A physician provided the State of Iowa with a written statement in which he said it was "appropriate" that the residents be placed elsewhere.
The facility faced a $5,000 state fine due to the mold problem.
The facility also faced significant problems in 2007. It was fined $11,500 for a series of alleged incidents involving inadequate care and/or supervision for a resident's broken arm, a second resident's broken ankle, a serious head injury sustained by a third resident, and a hip fracture sustained by a fourth resident.
