Failure to Secure Medication Storage Areas
Penalty
Summary
Medications, including prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, were observed to be improperly stored and unsecured on two units within the facility. On the 400-unit, the nurses' station door was left open with no staff present, and both the medication refrigerator and cabinets containing OTC medications were unlocked and accessible. These conditions persisted during multiple observations throughout the day, with photographic evidence obtained. On the 300-unit, a treatment cart containing prescription medications and wound care supplies was left unlocked and unattended in a resident common area. Staff interviews confirmed that the medication storage areas should have been locked at all times and accessible only to authorized personnel. An LPN acknowledged that the refrigerator and cabinet should have been secured but had not yet been locked. The DON stated that it was her expectation that all medication storage areas, including treatment and medication carts, remain locked when not in use. Facility policy also requires all medications, except for emergency drug kits, to be stored in locked areas accessible only to authorized staff.