COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Another senior care facility in North Idaho is out of compliance and banned from admitting new residents following deficiencies noted by the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
Pacifica Senior Living, located at 840 E. Dalton Ave. in Coeur d’Alene, is under a provisional license as of Oct. 29, 2019, online records show. The facility was also required to hire a consultant to bring it back into compliance.
Pacifica Senior Living’s second location in Pinehurst, Idaho, has been placed on a provisional license with temporary management as of Jan. 29, 2020. A different operator has also been appointed to the facility.
A provisional license means the facility is out of compliance with rules pending the correction of deficiencies.
This is the second time the Pacifica facility in Coeur d’Alene has been placed under a provisional license and required to hire a consultant. Online records show that the same action was taken against Pacifica’s location in Coeur d’Alene in February 2019.
Records from the most recent complaint investigation in October 2019 show that the facility did not provide adequate care or enough staff to meet residents’ needs and failed to keep the facility safe and clean.
Similar substantiated claims were found in February 2019, along with failure to meet infection control standards and issues with medication.
“Core” and “non-core” issues identified during the department were found during both investigations, online records show.
KREM’s Taylor Viydo has reached out to Pacifica for comment but has not received a response at this article’s publishing.
Second Pacifica location is also out of compliance following violations
Records indicate that a variety of allegations leveled at Pacifica’s facility in Pinehurst were deemed “substantiated” in January, including abuse, exploitation, lack of adequate staffing, medication and treatment issues.
Documents obtained by Viydo from the IDHW say the inspection found evidence of failing to protect residents from sexual abuse and improper medical care, among other violations.
The documents list 31 “non-core issues” and six “core issues” at Pacifica in Pinehurst.
Records show that non-core issues were also found as the result of investigations of the facility in April 2019.
The non-core issues listed for 2020 include failure to maintain a clean facility, assist residents in taking their medication, and complete an investigation and written report when allegations of abuse were made known, among others.
The six core issues listed in the inspection go into detail about the facility’s failure to protect residents from abuse and improper medical care.
October investigation findings
Records show that the Oct. 11, 2019 investigation was prompted by a complaint and also served as a “health care core deficiency follow up.”
The investigation’s lone “core issue” finding showed that Pacifica staff at the Coeur d’Alene location didn’t properly supervise residents, a violation of state rules.
“Based on observation, interview, and record review it was determined the facility failed to provide adequate supervision to ensure there was sufficient staff to assist 4 of 4 sampled residents, as well as 11 of 11 focused review residents with their care needs,” reads a section of the report.
One of the facility’s buildings, which contained 15 residents with dementia, was found to not be properly staffed “to meet the residents’ supervision or care needs.” Investigators wrote that 12 of the residents required assistance when being transferred and one resident was bedbound.
In one instance, investigators noted an example of a resident with dementia who was not cared for during an extended period of time. Quoting a separate report, investigators wrote “the resident appeared to be in the same position as she was in the previous day after she had been given a shower and had been put to bed. Investigation and interview of each staff member who had been on shift during that 24-hour period determined that no staff had provided cares (sic) to this resident in any way during that time. The resident was not repositioned, had not been provided with incontinent care, and had not been provided with any fluids or foods.”
The ”reportable incident” was dated Sept. 12, 2019 and the mentioned resident passed away six days later.
Among the “non-core” issues found at Pacifica, investigators noted a lack of cleanliness and insufficient staffing levels.
“The facility did not maintain the interior and exterior of the facility in a clean, safe and orderly manner,” reads a description of the report. “There was a strong urine odor upon entering the facility.” Pacifica had previously been cited for a lack of cleanliness during the February 2019 investigation as well, the report noted.
Staffing levels were also noted in the report. “The facility did not schedule sufficient staff during all hours,” wrote investigators “For example: Staff left buildings unattended when they had to switch buildings with other staff to pass medications or to assist with cares. Multiple staff reported the facility had not scheduled sufficient staff to assist residents with showering, toileting needs, medications assistance, assistance with meals or to provide activities.”
Pacifica had been previously cited in February 2019 for the same violation as well, investigators also noted.
License can be restored to facilities if deficiencies are corrected
Kelly Petroff, a spokesperson for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, was unable to disclose if the department has received further complaints about the facility in Coeur d’Alene following the October investigation.
Petroff said the consultant and facility administrator can allege to the department that the facility is back in compliance when they agree that deficiencies have been corrected.
The department will then conduct an on-site survey to verify that the facility is back in compliance with every deficiency that was cited, Petroff said.
Petroff added that licensure surveys occur approximately every three years, and happen more often if the facility has been cited with a core deficiency or if there are complaints.