F0761

D

Unattended, Unlocked Medication Cart on 200 Hall

Brownsville, Texas Survey Completed on 03-03-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s handling and storage of drugs and biologicals when the 200 hall medication cart was observed unlocked and unattended. On 3/3/2026 at 3:40 p.m., the 200 hall nurse’s medication cart, containing medications for residents on that hallway, was found in the hallway without the responsible LVN present and without the cart being secured by a lock. When the surveyor called the LVN’s attention to the unlocked cart, the LVN returned and locked it. In an interview at that time, the LVN acknowledged responsibility for the cart, stated that she was expected to lock it whenever she walked away, and confirmed that residents’ medications were stored inside and could be accessed if the cart was left unlocked. In a separate interview at 4:00 p.m., the DON stated that multiple staff, including the DON and ADON, were responsible for ensuring medication carts were locked, and confirmed the expectation that staff lock the cart when walking away, noting that a resident or visitor could grab medication from an unlocked cart and be harmed.