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OUR VIEW: The Woodlands: Why? Time for answers and accountability at Portage County's nursing home

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September 16, 2007

Portage County commissioners are planning to hire a firm to review operations at The Woodlands at Robinson "from top to bottom" and make recommendations to remedy the shortcomings that put the county-run facility's Medicare/Medicaid status in jeopardy.

It shouldn't take an outside firm to answer these questions:

*Why weren't three allegations of the sexual abuse of a "frail, vulnerable" woman patient investigated after they first were noted by nursing home staffers?

*Why wasn't a proper protection plan put into place to safeguard the woman, who is unable to move her arms and legs?

*Why weren't the nursing home administrator, who is hired by the commissioners, and the director of nursing aware of the abuse allegations documented by the staff?

*Why weren't staff members aware of restrictions placed on the alleged molester, including instructions to monitor his whereabouts, after the nursing director issued them following the most recent abuse incident?

*Why weren't the families of residents of The Woodlands immediately notified that an allegation of sexual abuse was under investigation by the Ohio Department of Health?

*Why weren't the commissioners given a copy of the ODH investigators' report?

*Why weren't commissioners given a detailed report of a 2006 quality assesment of the county home, which listed 16 deficiencies, including medication errors and inadequate supervision of residents? (That's twice the national average for such assessments.)

Why? Why? Why?

It shouldn't be too difficult to get the answers to these questions, nor should the commissioners need the help of an outside firm to get them.

It's time for answers and accountability.




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 2 Total Comments
2.
    Posted by s.swenson September 16, 2007
The D.O.N. does not take responsibility for staff not seeing memo's in the daily log book? Well what exactly does the director of nursing do? I would think part of the job description is to have a checks and balances that "memo's" aren't missed especially for issues such as inappropriate sexual contact.

1.
    Posted by radiantreba September 16, 2007
"Why weren't staff members aware of restrictions placed on the alleged molester, including instructions to monitor his whereabouts, after the nursing director issued them following the most recent abuse incident?"

--As a matter of fact, the staff WAS notified via MEMO which appeared at every nurses station in the building. All staff were to read it and sign it. The memo stated that the man was to be monitered at all times and was not to be visiting on the second floor of the building where the "incident" occured. A staff member was to be with him at all times while he was visiting with his family member. Most aides did sign the memo. At the start of your shift it is your responsibility to read all new memos as well as notes in the daily log book, in case there are any changes with your residents. Apparantly, the staff that were UNAWARE did NOT do this at the beginning of their shift, which is not the D.O.N's fault. As for the other departments besides nursing, I am sure the memo was issued to them as well.
And again, as I have said in recent posts, the "frail woman" admitted to the D.O.N. that in the past she had "allowed" (consented) to the actions, which is her right to do. As soon as it became non-consentual, the D.O.N. was there taking care of the situation.

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