Nursing Homes May Be Closed State Orders Unicare Facilities To Stop Accepting New Patients
Two Spokane nursing homes owned by a for-profit Milwaukee company could be closed later this year if they don’t fix problems found by the state Department of Social and Health Services.
But a spokesman for Unicare Homes Inc., plagued with regulatory problems for years in Spokane, said he is confident the problems would be fixed within weeks.
“The procedures that we have work,” said Mike Mervis, Unicare spokesman. “We have to get the staff to follow them.”
DSHS on Friday announced fines of $4,500 against Southcrest Subacute and Specialty Care Center and $6,000 against Franklin Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center for violating federal and state standards of care.
The fines stem from inspections in March and April finding that both nursing homes were offering substandard care.
The state ordered both nursing homes to stop admitting new patients until problems were fixed.
Managers and employees at Southcrest, 110 W. Cliff, were accused of verbally abusing a resident and leaving unattended others who required strict monitoring.
Staff at Franklin Hills, 6021 N. Lidgerwood, allegedly failed to assess and properly monitor residents’ bowel movements and eating.
Staff at Southcrest have until Sept. 19 and at Franklin Hills until Oct. 2 to fix problems from these inspections. If they’re not fixed, the federal Health Care Financing Administration will terminate the contracts and stop paying federal money for care.
That’s what happened to Valleycrest nursing home last fall. The Unicare home was repeatedly flagged for poor care and not protecting residents and was closed. The building has since been sold.
The April 21 inspection at Southcrest marked the third consecutive annual survey that the facility achieved substandard results. That just doesn’t happen, said Edith Coleman, district manager of the state Department of Aging and Adult Services.
The home missed the first deadline to ask for another inspection, and federal authorities on Tuesday decided to stop paying Southcrest money for new patients.
The nursing home needed more time to make sure policies were being followed and problems were fixed, Mervis said.
“I think they’re doing the right thing,” Coleman said. “If they’re not ready, they shouldn’t ask for an inspection.”
When they are ready, the home will be inspected again. Problems must stay fixed for 45 days before the home is out of trouble.
At Franklin Hills, management has until June 11 to tell the state its problems have been corrected. If that deadline is missed, the state will ask federal authorities to stop paying Franklin Hills for new patients.
Mervis said he expected to ask the state to return to both homes in the next couple of weeks for inspections.
Unicare also operates The Gardens on University nursing home in the Spokane Valley, and Ironwood Rehabilitation Center and Sunset Terrace in Coeur d’Alene. , DataTimes