For the second time in less than a year, the state-run Woodward Resource Center has been cited for placing residents in immediate jeopardy.
The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing fined the facility 24-thousand-500 dollars and cited it for 15 regulatory violations.
Inspectors say the violations involve poor facility management, staffing and training issues, meal and nursing services, and resident abuse.
The latest findings stem in part from a January 19th incident in which a male resident was found unresponsive in a bathtub.
According to inspectors, both the man’s skin and the bathroom were “very hot.” His body temperature was measured at 105-point-7 degrees. To lower his temperature, staff propped him up next to an open door, exposing him to cold air measuring around 10 degrees. Staff later acknowledged they did not follow the facility’s emergency protocol for an unresponsive resident.
The violations would normally have resulted in an 8-thousand-dollar fine. However, because of similar serious violations within the past year, the penalty was tripled to 24-thousand dollars.
