Failure to Enforce PPE Use During COVID-19 Outbreak
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to follow infection control procedures on all three nursing units during a COVID-19 outbreak. Specifically, five out of thirteen staff members were observed not wearing required personal protective equipment (PPE), such as surgical masks, in designated areas where mask use was mandated. During the initial tour, a laundry employee was seen without a surgical mask and stated they were unaware of the requirement. The Licensed Nursing Home Administrator (LNHA) and an Information Technology (IT) employee also entered a unit without masks, later stating they forgot to put them on. Additionally, a psychiatrist and a student intern were observed at the nursing station with their surgical masks worn improperly under their chins and acknowledged this during an interview. The facility's outbreak response plan required all personnel to wear PPE, including respiratory protection, in common areas and when entering rooms under droplet precautions. At the time of the survey, two residents were COVID positive, and several rooms were under droplet precautions with appropriate signage and PPE supplies available. Despite these protocols, multiple staff members failed to comply with mask requirements in common areas, as confirmed by both observation and staff interviews. The Director of Nursing (DON) acknowledged that the observed staff should have been wearing surgical masks in the affected building.