A recent annual inspection of the state's only veterans home revealed several violations, but the home's administrator said they were minor and that the facility is still undergoing improvements after being cited for major violations in 2012 and 2013.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services completed a surprise survey of the Fayetteville Veterans Home the week of July 6. The results, which were made public this week, show four violations regarding uncleanliness during catheter care, accident hazards, sanitation in dining areas and the lack of a toileting program.
Kriss Schaffer, administrator of the home, said he created and implemented a plan to fix the problems. The Office of Long Term Care sent a letter to Schaffer on Aug. 10 saying his plan had been approved and that surveyors would revisit the facility to make sure the errors had been corrected.
"I hate getting one tag, but none of our tags were really that serious," Schaffer said. "It's not like any harm is going to come to anybody from any of them."
Violations included a certified-nursing assistant not changing his gloves after picking up an item from the floor and another certified-nursing assistant transferring a patient alone when a second person was required.
Matt Snead, director of the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs, said the violations were "all very minor things."
Schaffer attributed some of the slip-ups to employees being intimidated around inspectors.
"A couple of them were corrected on the spot," Snead said. "We were really pleased with the outcome of that inspection. We need to keep up the momentum."
The home has seen improved inspection results since an overhaul of the facility started in 2013 when Sarah Robinson, the previous administrator, was fired.
During Robinson's 11 months as administrator, the state cited the home multiple times, including allegations of neglect, failing to file reports and staff members providing false reports.
In 2012, the Office of Long Term Care cited the home for 22 patient-care violations. Problems then included medication errors, unsanitary conditions and cold or inedible food.
Schaffer was hired in January 2014. Since then, a new partnership with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences has been forged, and the number of patients in the facility has increased from 62 to 87.
Since Schaffer took over, the state has mostly cited the home for food-related violations.
The veterans home received some of the same complaints in the latest inspection, including cold food, improperly stored food and unclean ice machines.
"In our defense, we had just changed food-service providers," Schaffer said. "A new company had only been on board for three days, and they had inherited a mess. Even in those three days, they bent over backwards to get things fixed. The dietary surveyor said the overall condition of the kitchen was 100 percent better than last year."
Metro on 08/19/2015