Video of bugs at Xenia nursing home leads to state investigation, ombudsman says

Mar. 13—A Xenia nursing home is facing an investigation from the Ohio Department of Health after a video posted online showed bugs in a resident's room.

The Ombudsman Office and health department staff visited the Hospitality Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a 99-bed nursing home located at 1301 N Monroe Drive in Xenia, after a video believed to have been taken in one of the rooms showed images of flies and dead fly larva.

"We were out there yesterday and so was the Department of Health, and I don't believe there was evidence that it was widespread throughout the building, but certainly was in that individual's room," said Chip Wilkins, a local ombudsman.

The video is believed to have been taken on Sunday, March 10, according to the local Ombudsman Office, which visited the center on Monday, March 11, along with the Ohio Department of Health.

The video showed dead fly larva in a tray next to the resident's bed that had food that hadn't been eaten or removed from the room, along with dead flies on the tray and in the food itself, Wilkins said.

The Ombudsman Office authenticated the video and verified which room at the center where the video had been taken, Wilkins said.

"We don't know how long the tray had been sitting there, which was part of what the individual was upset about, as anyone would be," Wilkins said.

The Hospitality Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has not responded to the Dayton Daily News for a request for comment.

The room still had evidence of dead flies and needed additional cleaning, he said.

"Probably the root cause of the problem is the lack of staff on weekends and not having enough staff there to meet the needs of the residents and keep the building clean," Wilkins said.

The Ombudsman Office is working with the Hospitality Center to improve staffing on weekends, he said.

The Ombudsman Office is also working with the corporate office of the Hospitality Center to get the facility sprayed for bugs.

"They also have some other building issues related to mold that we're trying to get them to fix," Wilkins said.

The Ohio Department of Health will follow up on this complaint, either substantiate the complaint or finding that there is not enough evidence to substantiate the complaint. Depending on the department's findings, the center may be fined or have to follow through on a plan of correction to address the issue.

The Hospitality Center has a one-star rating from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS). The Hospitality Center has had 40 complaints over the last three years that have resulted in a citation, according to CMS.

The Hospitality Center has had 27 recent health citations, totaled from the most recent standard health inspection and last 12 months of complaint and infection control inspections, according to CMS. The average number of health citations for nursing homes in Ohio is 10.4 and in the U.S. is 9.3.

___

(c)2024 Springfield News-Sun, Ohio

Visit Springfield News-Sun, Ohio at www.springfieldnewssun.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.