Investigation under way at Lake Worth Nursing Home after residents with COVID evacuated
State health workers are investigating the Lake Worth Nursing Home, where residents continue to be evacuated after a number of them tested positive for coronavirus, a spokesperson said Thursday.
The residents were taken to other facilities in Tarrant County.
“Protecting the health, safety and well-being of the people residing in the facilities we regulate is our top priority,” according to a statement from Kelli Weldon, a spokesperson for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. “Within an hour of being notified about this facility’s status, HHSC had a surveyor team on site to actively investigate this facility’s compliance with all relevant health and safety rules.
“Our team remains on site and is working with local long-term care ombudsman staff to monitor the transfer of residents to other facilities that can fully meet their needs. We have identified alternative placements for all residents and hope to safely transfer all of them out of the facility today.”
Weldon did not immediately respond to an email seeking answers to a list followup questions.
Nursing homes in Texas have become a hot spot for coronavirus cases. The state has reported 769 nursing homes with confirmed cases of COVID-19 in patients or staff as well as 7,301 positive cases in nursing home patients, which includes 1,035 deaths, state reports show.
On Wednesday, MedStar began relocating 63 people from the Lake Worth Nursing Home in the 4200 block of Wells Drive at the request of the state, Matt Zavadsky, the ambulance service’s spokesman, has said.
MedStar was told that about 25, or about 40%, of the residents were positive for the novel coronavirus.
Management of the nursing home could not be reached for comment. Its online listing said it was temporarily closed.
Inspections
Inspections and complaints about the the nursing home posted on Medicare.gov show:
▪ More than a dozen health complaints have been filed since 2017 addressing issues such as nutrition and diet, resident rights and quality of life and care. Inspectors also found a deficiency in “freedom from abuse, neglect and exploitation.”
▪ The last inspection at the nursing home — which received one out of five stars for a health inspection rating — was Aug. 28, 2019. That report cited dirt and dust, dirty toilet bowls and urine on the floor among the problems.
▪ Staffing at the 109-bed nursing home is lower than the state or national average. For instance, the total number of licensed nurse staff hours per resident per day is 52 minutes. The state average is one hour and 26 minutes and the national average is one hour and 34 minutes.
▪ Ten fire safety citations were issued in the most recent fire safety inspection on Aug. 22, 2019, reports showed.
▪ The nursing home, doing business as Lake Worth Investments Inc., received one federal fine in the last three years — for $33,955 on May 17, 2018.
Investigation
Weldon said the Health and Human Services Commission is working with local health officials.
“Our regulatory authority allows us to revoke a nursing facility’s license or take other enforcement action against a facility for failure to comply with health and safety regulations, and we will exercise that authority as necessary,” Weldon’s statement noted. “What enforcement action we take against this facility will depend upon the outcome of our investigation.”
This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 4:32 PM.
