Failure to Timely Report Allegation of Sexual Abuse
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to report an allegation of sexual abuse involving a resident with paraplegia and intact cognition in a timely manner to the Ohio Department of Health. The resident was admitted in early January and discharged in early April. Multiple staff members, including a staff member and a social worker, reported to the previous Administrator in early April that there was a suspected sexual relationship between the Housekeeping Supervisor and the resident. Despite these reports, the allegation was not reported to the state agency until mid-October, several months after the resident had been discharged. Interviews with facility staff and review of the facility's Self-Reported Incidents (SRIs) confirmed that the required notification to authorities did not occur within the 24-hour timeframe outlined in the facility's Abuse and Neglect Protocol. The facility's investigation, initiated only after the delayed report, did not substantiate the abuse. The deficiency centers on the facility's failure to promptly report the allegation as required by policy and regulation.