News

Actions

Peoria nursing home under investigation by state of Arizona, police due to multiple violations

Posted at 5:52 PM, Jul 06, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-07 15:07:37-04

More concerns are arising regarding a Valley nursing home that is already under investigation by the State of Arizona and the Peoria Police Department.

It is the same facility where a 79-year-old Alzheimer's resident got out of the building and died of heat exhaustion just two weeks ago.

After hearing about the tragic death of Oralia Parra, Selena Washington says she felt compelled to speak out about the experiences she had at the Immanuel Campus of Care.

Washington admitted she wasn't at the facility long. She went to get therapy while healing from a minor surgery. However, she recalls the experience as being traumatic and says she'll be forever scarred because of it.

"My life just turned upside down," Washington says. "It's very depressing; heartbreaking. Just to hear about the other families. In my mind I felt I gotta do something. I didn't know what to do."  

Washington turned to ABC15 to air out her experience. 

She called her stay at Immanuel a two-week stint of feeling neglected, disrespected and physically threatening. Washington says her doctor told her she would have to get her foot amputated after developing a serious Staph infection while at Immanuel.

Washington said she had become friends with a man who had MRSA at the facility, and now questioned why this man had not been isolated from the rest of the nursing home population. 

"I called my daughter and said you gotta get me out of here now," Washington said.

Feeling suicidal while in there, Washington says she reached out to her Pastor Barbara King, who made frequent visits to keep Washington's spirits up.

ABC15 dug through public records and found citations similar to what Washington experienced involving other patients.

State Department of Health records show 78 citations against Immanuel since 2014 and a $1,500 civil penalty for "failure to ensure a resident's foot was adequately assessed and monitored, and ensure measures were in place to help prevent the development of a pressure sore for one resident."

Other notable citations referenced improper maintenance of medications, patient medical records, poor sanitary conditions at the facility, and failing to provide follow-up care for residents at the facility.

State records indicate the facility did correct all of these violations and is in compliance. 

The latest incident involving the heat death is still under investigation.
?
ABC15 reached out to Immanuel for a comment. A spokesman says they could not find any documented complaints made by Washington during her stay at the facility. He added they have a social services worker on staff and take every complaint very seriously.

"I would always go to them and complain and argue with the nurses. They would just brush me off," Washington said.

She is now looking into legal recourse against the facility.

A Spokesman for Immanuel said the nursing home had recently been upgraded from a one-star to a two-star facility by Medicare/Medicaid, which was very difficult to do. 

He also said Immanuel Campus of Care had received a Bronze Award from the American Health Care Association for the quality of care.

The spokesman said they would be happy to sit down and do an interview with ABC15 after Peoria police wrapped up their investigation.