Managing editor

Although patients are moving out of the Calera Manor Nursing Home and many of the staff have been told there would be a lay-off, the administrator is still holding out hope that the paperwork will be processed for the manor to regain Medicare/Medicaid status.

“We are making a new application to be recertified,” said Patricia McCurry, the administrator for the nursing facility. “I had already faxed, as well as mailed in the paperwork, but now I am starting the process all over again. I had sent everything to the state in a timely manner.”

According to the Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the nursing center was alerted of several deficiencies that needed to be corrected or the agreement would be terminated Nov. 24, which means the facility would no longer receive Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements from the government.

According to the notice, the nursing home does not comply with the Medicare/Medicaid requirements for resident rights, quality of life, resident assessment, quality of care, dietary services, infection control and administration.

McCurry had told the Durant Daily Democrat in November that most of the deficiencies involved paperwork and in-service training for employees.

On Nov. 13 and 14, the health department made another check of the facilities. There were eight infractions listed on the Oklahoma State Department of Health Statement of Deficiencies and Plan of Correction report.

One of the complaints was that incident reports were not prepared after a resident fell, even though there was documentation from a nurse. Corrective action included in-servicing on Nov. 20 regarding the correct preparation of incident reports, according to the plan of correction report.

The second infraction was related to infection control, as care givers were observed taking care of patients and then fixing the patients' clothing or bedding without changing gloves. In-servicing was conducted to train staff on infection control on Nov. 20.

A basic nursing and personal care infraction occurred when two certified nurses aides were observed lifting a patient up under her arm pits to move her further back in a wheel chair to prevent her from falling. Proper techniques, according to the report, would have been to use a gait belt.

According to the report, when one of the CNAs was asked if she had been trained to use a gait belt, she reported that she had been trained and then said, “I was taught to make it (the gait belt) tighter, but I didn't want to hurt her.”

The plan of action states the nursing home will provide training in transfer methods.

Four examples of failure to provide restorative services for patients. The report stated there were four patients who were determined to have some form of exercise program as required by the doctor, and all four patients failed to receive the required exercise.

On Nov. 15, according to the document, a restorative aide had been trained as a restorative nurses aid by the physical therapist, and evaluations were being completed on all residents not currently on the restorative program.

Other infractions include improper serving sizes of food, as well serving plain cake instead of the strawberry poke cake that was listed on the menu.

The dietitian claimed that strawberries were not delivered on the truck the prior Tuesday, and that she could have used strawberry jello, but was out of that as well. An in-service was performed to train the dietary department.

The nursing center was also written up for using a wheelchair seat belt to buckle a patient in when there was no documentation that a seat belt should be used. When asked, a CNA stated she always used the seat belt with that patient “because it keeps her from falling out of the wheel chair.”

The last infraction on the Nov. 13-14 report was improper food storage, as cited that tomato juice and coleslaw had not been disposed of 48 hours after opening.

Monday approximately 20 patients had moved, according to McCurry, but more were moved out during the week. She said most were moving to local nursing homes.

“There are many nursing homes in the area,” she said of where the patients were moving to. “That is the family and their choice.”

The staff had been notified in a weekly meeting that many would be laid off Dec. 16, but McCurry said they are recommending those who are not staying be hired at their sister nursing home in Colbert or other local nursing facilities.

“Anyone who is laid off, if they are accepted they won't lose seniority and pay rate. We get recertified, we'll try to bring them all back,” McCurry said.

The facility currently only has three private pay patients.

“This is an excellent facility, and we have a good staff and a caring staff. Our residents and their families were happy here,” McCurry said.

“We all become family, and it's very difficult when you see employees crying because someone they love has to leave. I hoping we'll get the remedy in place so we can bring those patients back.”