State Health Dept. Launches Licensure Action
The Indiana State Department of Health has filed an administrative action against the license of Hoosier Care II, Inc. d/b/a Hanover Nursing Center in Hanover, Indiana. State health officials said that they are seeking that the facility’s license be placed on probation and have issued an emergency order for placement of a monitor and a ban on admissions at the facility, which is charged with violating state rules governing long-term care facilities.
The charges are based on the findings of a survey by the Indiana State Department of Health that was completed on September 21, 2005.
Included in the findings, the survey stated that the facility failed to assure freedom from verbal, physical, and mental abuse for four cognitively impaired residents on secured dementia units. According to the survey, facility nursing staff punched the face, bent the thumbs of, choked, and verbally abused the residents. Facility staff who witnessed the physical and verbal abuse delayed reporting or failed to report the abuse observations, per facility policy, while the nursing staff who abused the residents continued to work on the dementia care unit.
This finding resulted in an immediate jeopardy designation. A follow up survey was conducted on October 12, 2005, which indicated that the immediate jeopardy was removed.
