State regulators said a North Carolina nursing home that left three staff members to take care of 98 residents in January put its residents in "immediate jeopardy" after failing to enact an emergency plan, The News & Observer reported March 15.
The “immediate jeopardy” classification in the March 11 state report is the most serious level, as it means the problems left residents at risk for serious harm or death.
Two residents of Pine Ridge Health and Rehabilitation Center in Thomasville, N.C., were found dead, and two more were hospitalized after a wellness check in January uncovered just three staff members caring for the facility's 98 residents. The center said on Jan. 25 the deaths were "medically unrelated" to the staff shortages caused by a winter storm.
The nursing home acknowledged the problems and has taken steps to bring the center back into compliance, according to the state report. CMS has stopped funding new admissions at the facility.