Madison, Wis.-based Bay at Belmont Health and Rehabilitation Center has 13 immediate jeopardy citations and the most regulatory violations of all state nursing homes since 2019, The Chippewa Herald reported March 7.
Violations primarily centered around improper medical treatment and staffing issues. In some instances, the kitchen was staffed by nursing assistants and social workers, according to the report. One resident's weight dropped below 71 pounds while two others had 24 percent weight gain in less than two months.
At one point, an unlicensed student nurse was the only nurse for more than an hour, and most workers from agencies were not properly trained, according to the report. Two nurse managers quit after a week.
"I was not risking my license to work in a facility where staff receive no training," one nurse manager told the Herald.
Champion Care, a for-profit company that bought Belmont in January 2022, said staff and management turnover has been a key factor in the history of violations.
"Reversing this disturbing trend has been more difficult than we anticipated when we assumed ownership," Mark Ruvel, a managing partner of Champion Care, said in a statement to the Wisconsin State Journal. "[Champion Care] has a solid track record of turning around troubled facilities. [Its employees] strive each and every day to provide only the highest quality of care. [Belmont is] rebuilding relationships and restoring the trust that was lost with the facility’s hospital partners and with our community."