Oklahoma Nursing Home Cited After Resident Assault
Whispering Pines Nursing Center has been in the public eye lately. You might recall that we previously blogged about this facility when resident Carol Crow was assaulted. On July 11, 2008, Carol Crow was found with two black eyes and covered with bruises on her face, neck, and shoulders. Nursing home staff told Mrs. Crow's family that she had fallen in her room, but Mrs. Crow told her family an entirely different story. Mrs. Crow reported that a man knocked her down, got on top of her, and beat her until she was unconscious. While Mrs. Crow does have early onset Alzheimer's disease, she was very clear about what happened to her.
The facility reported the incident to DHS, but officials from the Long Term Care Investigations Unit did not open an investigation. A complaint about the assault triggered an investigation by officials from the Oklahoma Health Department. The investigation revealed sixteen serious deficiencies, two of which were failing to fully investigate abuse allegations and endangering patients' health.
The Health Department is recommending that the facility not be allowed to accept any new Medicare and Medicaid patients until the deficiencies are corrected. If the facility is not in compliance within six months, Medicare and Medicaid payments could be halted. Federal regulators are being asked to fine the facility $3,000 per day until the deficiencies are corrected.
The new Administrator of Whispering Pines, Sue Horton, has only been on the job for three weeks and has yet to read the 370 page report about these serious deficiencies.
