The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration has ordered the Alafia Village assisted living facility in Brandon, Florida to close its doors to new residents after officials discovered that staff members were failing to properly treat and care for residents who had tested positive for COVID-19. Source.
According to officials, three residents tested positive for COVID-19 on June 4, and the staff failed to isolate and transport these patients to nearby hospitals for treatment. An administrator from Alafia Village told officials that the facility had no clear plan put in place for handling residents who had been infected with COVID-19.
The following observations were reported when officials visited the facility on June 6:
- Improper use of personal protective equipment by staff members
- Failure to take off and dispose of gloves worn while aiding residents who tested positive
- Using the same gloves while caring for patients who tested positive and those who were not infected
- Several staff members caring for residents who tested positive admitted they were never properly trained to care for these patients
The facility’s administrator told officials that she was aware that the staff was required to undergo COVID-19 training but opted not to pursue this training for her staff members.
Following this visit, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration ordered Alafia Village to close its doors for the safety of residents, stating that “The (facility) has failed to meet these minimum licensure standards and these failures are not isolated events, but (are) operational and management system deficiencies affecting the health, safety and well-being of the (facility’s) current or future population.”
During this pandemic, when the generation that resides in nursing homes is most at-risk, it is unsettling to know that there are care facilities that are not taking proper care of their residents. If your loved one is currently in a nursing home and suffering from nursing home abuse, contact the personal injury attorneys at Beltz & Beltz. Our team of personal injury attorneys will represent victims throughout the state of Florida.
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