FAYETTEVILLE -- The state-run Arkansas Veterans Home at Fayetteville has grown from 62 residents in January to 78 and could reach 85 by early August, its administrator said Friday.
The growth is a good sign the 108-bed nursing home has overcome past problems, said both administrators for the state's Department of Veterans Affairs and an advocate for nursing home residents.
"I can't tell you how happy I am not to be getting any calls," said Martha Deaver, president of Arkansas Advocates for Nursing Home Residents. She has received no complaints from patients or staff about care at the home in months, she said.
Kriss Schaffer was hired in January as the home's administrator.
"I'd love to tell you it's because of the job I've done here, but it's been the hard work of the staff," Schaffer said Friday. "They have bent over backwards to get people admitted to the home who needed to come. They're providing excellent patient care and the word is getting out."
The facility made headlines last year after being cited for not reporting possible neglect in a patient death in January 2013. Inspectors then found improper restraint in December 2012 led to another patient's arm being broken. Since then, past problems with bills left unpaid for pharmaceuticals and missed reimbursement of the federal Medicare program came to light.
Despite the two incidents involving harm to patients, the biggest problems at the home were administrative, said Kelly Ferguson, spokeswoman for the state Department of Veterans Affairs. The department knew the staff provided good care and would provide excellent care if given the right leadership, she said.
"We've always had low turnover in the staff, from nurses to housekeeping," she said.
Staff dedication and the level of care were big factors in deciding against any cutbacks at the home even when the number of residents dropped and financial problems came to light, Ferguson said. That decision is paying off now, she said. The staff is able to handle a steadily growing number of residents with no patient care problems, she said.
Ferguson praised both Schaffer and the staff, saying their results show in the most recent inspection report by the state Office of Long Term Care. That report was released last month and was the best the home ever had, Ferguson said.
The home now has a firm grip on its financial situation, said Schaffer and Ferguson. The Fayetteville home ended the fiscal year $38,000 in the black, Schaffer said. The fiscal year ended June 30. The financial standing should improve with the higher number of residents, he said. Payments still owed for pharmaceuticals will require approval by legislators.
The home can grow to 85 residents without adding staff, Schaffer said, but growth beyond that would require both changes and time to prepare, he said. In recent weeks, the home has admitted residents from as far away as Oxford, Miss.; Columbus, Ga.; and St. Louis who have family members in the area, Schaffer said.
In a related development, the Veterans Department announced Thursday the home will forge a closer working relationship with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences-Northwest Arkansas in Fayetteville. The medical school is the veterans home's landlord, leasing space to the Veterans Department in the same building.
Nursing students at the medical school already provide supervised care there. A fuller agreement between the two entities that will announce cooperation on issues ranging from patient care to information technology is expected in August.
NW News on 07/27/2014