Shocking Audit Exposes Delays in Health Department Inspections of Adult Care Facility Violations

ALBANY, N.Y. – Recent findings from the New York State Comptroller’s office reveal that the Health Department is failing to keep up with inspections of adult care facilities. The audit covered the years 2018 to 2024 and highlighted significant gaps in timely inspections and proper documentation of issues.

The report noted many serious violations, including broken stairs, malfunctioning appliances, and insufficient fire drills. Alarmingly, some facilities still had expired medications four years after being cited. Plus, staff members lacked basic first aid certification for over a year after being flagged for it. One facility even had a half-empty vodka bottle in a medical room and marijuana paraphernalia in an administrator’s office.

At a particular adult care facility that hadn’t been fully inspected in nearly two years, auditors discovered immediate health risks. Following notification, Department of Health (DOH) officials conducted a thorough inspection, uncovering 54 violations and 12 serious issues.

The audit pointed out that the DOH did not document whether previous violations were corrected. In 30 inspection reports involving 89 violations, auditors found no evidence of corrective actions taken. Alarmingly, at 18 out of 20 visited facilities, earlier problems remained unresolved. Inaccurate records also contributed to slow oversight, as some full inspections were misclassified as partial ones.

From 2018 to 2023, the DOH received 7,440 complaints but only fully investigated around 6,498 of them. The audit revealed issues in documentation as well; in a sample of 130 complaints, 18% had no proof of being investigated. This included troubling allegations, such as residents being confined to their rooms or left waiting in hallways for long periods.

While the DOH attributed some delays to the COVID-19 pandemic, they claim to be making strides in returning to normal inspection timelines. They acknowledge the challenges posed by staffing shortages and disrupted operations during the pandemic.

The audit proposes several improvements for the DOH, such as ensuring timely inspections, thorough follow-ups on violations, and complete documentation of complaints.

To address these issues, the DOH is enhancing their procedures. They’ve added hires, refined tracking systems, and created a new quality assurance committee. These efforts aim to bolster oversight and better protect residents.

In their response, the DOH emphasized their commitment to returning to consistent oversight. They’ve also implemented new surveillance methods and training for their staff to improve investigation practices.

These ongoing issues reflect larger challenges in oversight in the care industry. The lack of thorough inspections brings up concerns about patient safety and holding facilities accountable, which is an urgent matter in an industry responsible for the well-being of vulnerable populations.

For more detailed information, see the full report from the New York State comptroller’s office here.

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