Health officials are fining a Maryland nursing home $10,000 a day for infection control deficiencies related to a COVID-19 outbreak at the facility, according to a notification letter obtained by The Washington Post.
Thirty-four residents and one staff member at La Plata-based Sagepoint Senior Living have died from COVID-19, marking the highest death toll of all nursing homes in the state.
In a May 6 letter sent to the facility, health officials outlined various deficiencies they discovered during a recent inspection, including failure to use personal protective equipment and failure to separate residents known or suspected to have COVID-19.
Maryland's Office of Health Care Quality is fining Sagepoint $10,000 per day, which took effect March 30 when the inspection began. Officials will lift the daily fine once the nursing home complies with all state regulations.
Sagepoint leaders said they strongly disagree with regulators' findings and plan to dispute them, according to Joyce Riggs, a spokesperson for the facility.
"We feel it would be inappropriate and highly irregular to respond to last night's letter in the media before we have followed the proper process," she told the Post.
To view the full article, click here.