The probe found that 35 of 57 staff members had particular concerns about the administrator at the Emory L. Bennett Memorial State Veteran's Nursing Home. The administrator, Belkis Pineyro-Wiggins, was described by those 35 employees as "terrorizing" or "belittling" and "degrading" or "threatening," according to the 13-page Management Review completed earlier this month.
In a comments section at the end of the report, the Inspector General's Office recommended that the Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs review specific portions ot the document and determine appropriate actions.
One staffer told the investigators that Pineyro-Wiggins referred to a resident as a "pig," made fun of that resident and said the resident was "too fat." Pineyro-Wiggins denied ever speaking to or about a resident in such a derogatory way.
The report also indicates that staffers did not have concerns about the safety or treatment of residents at the facility.
The most serious claims involve the way staffers say Pineyro-Wiggins treated them. One staffer, for instance, said that Pineyro-Wiggins "berated and degraded kitchen staff and spoke to them "like they were children," according to the report.
But she did tell the I.G.'s office that when she started work at the nursing home "she discovered that staff members previously experienced a lenient environment where policies and procedures may not have been enforced." She also said that many staffers resisted change to their work environment.
[page]
The management review document states that Pineyro-Wiggins has been the nursing home administrator since August 2007.
When she was told that 61.4 percent of staffers interviewed -- or 35 of 57 staffers -- expressed concerns about the work environment she had fostered and not the changes she made, Pineyro-Wiggins "admitted there was room for improvement, not only for herself, but for the entire staff," the report states.
The Emory L. Bennett Memorial State Veteran's Nursing Home is a 120-bed, residential facility. It provides skilled nursing home care to veteran residents who are not acutely ill and do not need hospital care.
The Inspector General's Office recommended that the Department of Veterans' Affairs review one case involving a voluntary demotion of an employee. Contrary to Pineyro-Wiggins' statement that the employee was repeatedly disciplined, the I.G.'s review found "no evidence of any type of disciplinary action leading up to the voluntary demotion on July 17, 2008."
The review also recommended that Veterans' Affairs look at the overall concerns about the workplace environment expressed by staffers and their "fear of retaliation and/or retribution for making any negative comments."
And it found "some evidence to suggest that the Administrator may have violated a staff member's use of sick leave to care for his spouse, even though the staff member provided appropriate documentation."
The I.G. also found that Pineyro-Wiggins may have "violated state Purchasing Card guidelines" although it did not appear that she "attempted to defraud the state of Florida in doing so." She had told investigators she was reprimanded for this episode, and the I.G.s office recommended that Veterans' Affairs confirm appropriate corrective action was taken and ensure Pineyro-Wiggins has proper training on the use of the Purchasing card.
Finally, the report recommends that Veterans' Affairs look at the case of a staff member whose graduation card with monetary donations from other staffers was withheld by Pineyro-Wiggins. Another staffer's card with unknown contents was withheld as well. The I.G.'s office wants to "ensure that these cards are given to their rightful owners and determine if any corrective action is warranted."Staff at Veterans Nursing Home Feels Terrorized By AdministratorOriginally from: http://www.nursinglink.com/news/articles/8847-staff-at-veterans-nursing-home-feels-terrorized-by-administrator
View this post on my blog: http://travelnursesuccess.com/staff-at-veterans-nursing-home-feels-terrorized-by-administrator
No comments:
Post a Comment