Coronavirus Latest: State Fines Sagepoint Living In La Plata For Poor Conditions That Pose Threat To Residents' Health And Safety
LA PLATA, Md. (WJZ) -- The Maryland Department of Health has notified a Charles County nursing home that it's violating state regulations and its conditions "posed immediate and serious jeopardy to the health and safety" of residents.
MDH's Office of Health Care Quality sent the letter to Sagepoint Living in La Plata Wednesday.
"Your facility failed to implement an effective infection control program in accordance with standards of care and the guidelines provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and Maryland Department of Health (MDH) during a declared State of emergency and healthcare pandemic," the letter states. "The deficiencies include failure to obtain critical lab results timely, failure to use appropriate hand hygiene, failure to appropriately use personal protective equipment (PPE), and failure to cohort residents with suspected or known COVID-19."
The letter also said, "...It is imperative that you immediately determine the measures that are necessary to correct these deficient practices, what systemic changes you will develop to ensure that this does not happen again, and what quality improvement process will be implemented to oversee the system."
According to the letter the state health department completed a compliance survey of the facility between April 21 and May 6.
The nursing home was found not in compliance with state regulations.
The state said it will fine the nursing home $10,000 per day starting March 30 until the facility is up to the state's standard.
The state began universal testing of nursing homes and staff this week.
34 residents and one member of the staff at Sagepoint Living have died—the most of any nursing facility in the state.
Sagepoint disputes the findings.
"We strongly disagree with the findings contained in the letter, and we will be disputing them directly to the Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ), which is how this oversight process is supposed to work. We feel it would be inappropriate and highly irregular to respond to last night's letter in the media before we have followed the proper process, as mandated by Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and OHCQ. It should be noted that OHCQ has informed Sagepoint that all of the concerns found during their inspections have been successfully resolved," Sagepoint said in a statement."
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.