Somerset —
One local care facility for the infirmed has accumulated several citations for alleged wrongdoing, but the home’s administrator suggests things aren’t actually that bad.
Hilltop Nursing Home in Science Hill was issued Type A citations from the state’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ Office of the Inspector General On July 2, August 18, September 1 and September 22. A Type A citation is the most severe of its kind issued for incidents of abuse and neglect at care facilities such as Hilltop.
The Commonwealth Journal was alerted recently about possible citations received by the facility, which has been in Science Hill for roughly half a century. The CJ has reported in the past about citations received by other care facilities in the county, most notably Oakwood, which received numerous Type A citations in 2005 and 2006 before management was assumed by the Bluegrass Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board, turning the home for the disabled’s fortunes around.
Thus the CJ looked into the allegations about Hilltop, contacting the state’s Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), which governs care facilities in Kentucky.
CHFS sent the CJ reports about the four citations mentioned above. The individual citations are as follows:
• July 2: A survey concluded on June 29 determined that the facility failed to provide continuous supervision and monitoring for a resident who left the facility without staff knowledge on June 11. The resident has been adjudicated incompetent and appointed state guardian, and was not supposed to leave the premises without supervision.
“Staff reported they were ‘supposed’ to check on residents ‘about every two hours,’ however, the staff explained that had no system in place to perform the checks, stating, ‘If we haven’t seen them for a while, we look for them,’” read the citation notice.
The citation stated that on June 13, the resident was located at a police station in the individual’s hometown, about 66 miles from the facility, while intoxicated. The assistant administrator traveled to the station and returned the resident to the facility.
The citation also referenced failure to maintain a three-day food supply in the facility at all times, failure to ensure care required by resident did not exceed the skill level that the licensee could provide, and failure to ensure a maximum temperature of 85 degree was not surpassed in occupied areas of the facility.
• August 18: A resident adjudicated incompetent and appointed a state guardian left the facility without staff knowledge on August 8, according to a survey concluded on August 13.
Review of the resident’s record revealed that the resident had previously eloped from the facility on April 28. The resident had been “withdrawn and agitated” since returning from a home visit in July, pacing back and forth, threatening suicide, and “speaking like a baby” at times.
Another resident with mental retardation and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was observed walking away from the facility on the roadway on August 11 in 93 degree temperatures, according to the citation.
“An interview with the Administrator ... revealed the resident ‘was walking in (local town),’ but was unaware of the exact location of the resident. The Administrator stated the resident ‘does it every day of (his/her) life,” stated the citation.
• September 1: A survey concluded on August 31 determined that the facility knowingly employed an individual on two separate occasions who was listed on the Kentucky Nurse Aide Abuse Registry, failing to comply with state policy by doing so.
• September 22: A survey concluded on September 22 determined that the facility failed to provider supervision for a resident with a known history of ingesting potentially harmful household chemicals.
The resident was diagnosed with schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder, and adjudicated incompetent. The citation noted the patient expressing bizarre thoughts about Jesus, Queen Elizabeth, and other figures whenever the resident was asked questions. The resident had been reported as “eating cigarette butts” and “brushed (his/her) teeth, mouth, and gums really hard with soap powder.” The resident was also taken to the emergency room on September 2 for allegedly ingesting shampoo as to cure a lung infection.
The letter that CHFS sent the CJ along with the citations noted that as of mid-October, the August 18 citation was being appealed.
The above citations were sent to a Melissa Prewitt, listed as the facility administrator. However, the CJ spoke to a Belinda Arthur, who is currently the facility administrator. Arthur noted that she had just replaced Prewitt in the “last couple of weeks.”
Arthur declined to comment on the citations themselves. She did however note that numerous other facilities are “fighting” similar citations and have had complaints regarding the state’s citations and reported deficiencies.
“I don’t know how they (the state) can come in and say things are fine one time and then not (fine) another,” said Arthur. “Everything they have given us a warning or a citation for, we’re fixing the problems.
“Social Services and other agencies has also been involved,” she added. “The state is the only one that has found anything to cite us on. The same things being reported to the state are also being reported to Social Services. Their investigations were conducted, they were more thorough, and they found nothing to cite us on.”
Arthur suggested that employees who were fired, potentially because of the offenses mentioned in the citations, were likely responsible for bringing these issues back up.
“They were responsible for part of the incidents,” said Arthur, “but because ... they were fired, they decide that they want to call the state. ... I think it’s sad that an ex-employee is mad because they were terminated and want to go cause problems for a facility and don’t stop to think about the ramifications for the residents there. This is their home. (The ex-employees) don’t care whether these residents would be left homeless or not.
“Our main concern is our residents,” Arthur added, “their health and their safety.”
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