State points to mistreatment at Bethany

A Minnesota Department of Health investigation released Tuesday has found that as many as 20 nursing assistants at Good Samaritan Society Bethany in Brainerd mistreated residents during a three-month period in late 2008.

The investigative report determined that though there wasn't sufficient evidence to support an abuse finding under state statute, there was a lack of supervision at Bethany for failing to ensure that facility residents were treated in an appropriate and respectful manner by multiple staff members.

The health department issued Bethany four federal deficiencies - for resident maltreatment, staff treatment of residents, implementation of policies and procedures to prevent maltreatment and for administration of the facility. The deficiencies were found to be corrected during a health department visit Jan. 30, 2009.

Mike Deuth, administrator at Good Samaritan Society Bethany, said late Tuesday in an interview that remedies and solutions, as noted in the health department's report, were implemented immediately after the allegations surfaced.

"We obviously take allegations like that very seriously," Deuth said. "The situation came up and we dealt with it. It was 15 months ago and we've moved on."

On Dec. 11, 2008, and Dec. 12, 2008, a special investigator with the health department made an unannounced visit to Bethany to investigate allegations that a nursing assistant physically and emotionally abused 14 residents over a three-month period in late 2008.

Bethany supervisors had placed the employee on an investigative suspension on Dec. 2, 2009 - the date the allegations were reported - and the employee was later terminated from her position.

In interviewing eight other staff members, the special investigator found that at least 20 other nursing assistants were known to be involved in treating residents in the same manner as the nursing assistant who was fired. The allegations included telling residents to urinate or have bowel movements in their briefs, removing call lights from residents whom staff deemed used them too much, talking to residents in a derogatory manner and failing to give residents beverages as called for in their dietary plan of care.

Several of the employees told the special investigator that they had reported the mistreatment to supervisors but nothing had changed, that reporting incidents wouldn't do any good or that they would be retaliated against for reporting incidents.

"A large number of employees were involved in the pattern of inappropriate behavior toward residents over a long period of time," the special investigator wrote. "Because of the ongoing nature of the behaviors without intervention, treating residents without dignity or respect had become an accepted behavior in the facility."

The 14 residents who had been reported as being maltreated by staff had diagnoses of dementia, often accompanied by depression, and were unable to report abuse or neglect because of their conditions.

On Dec. 11, 2008, Bethany was placed in immediate jeopardy by the health department. To remove the immediate jeopardy, Bethany administrators trained all nursing employees prior to their next shift, a monitoring procedure was established to ensure all staff treat residents appropriately and were aware of the steps to be taken if they see neglect or abuse and a station director was removed from her position and suspended. The immediate jeopardy designation was removed Dec. 12, 2008.

In four other unannounced visits to Bethany between Jan. 5, 2009, to Sept. 30, 2009, special investigators with the health department determined other reports of abuse by staff were inconclusive and no violations were noted.

MATT ERICKSON may be reached at matt.erickson@brainerddispatch.com or 855-5857.