The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has placed a North Platte assisted living facility on probation for dozens of violations.
NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) - An agency inspector last month informed the Hotel Pawnee that he had confirmed most of 35 violations identified in May, the North Platte Telegraph reported Friday (http://bit.ly/TGhjQc ).
The violations included not having enough certified staff at the facility, allowing uncertified employees to administer medications, unsafely preparing food and not properly maintaining the building. The inspector's report said that the facility has made progress on several fronts, including the number of certified staff and food preparation.
The facility will have one year to comply with state regulations and are required to hire a consultant to assist them, said Marla Augustine, spokeswoman for the health agency.
"We will be monitoring the facility to see how much progress they make in correcting the deficiencies," Augustine said.
Facility operators are confident they'll be able to remedy the violations, manager Sandra Schade said Saturday.
Asked how quickly the facility expected to correct those problems, Schade said a lot will depend on whether the facility gets support from the community.
"If the community rallies around us, that timeline could be quite short," she said.
Schade said the facility needs donations of paint, as well as volunteers to help with painting and other maintenance.
Information from: The North Platte Telegraph, http://www.nptelegraph.com
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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