Menu
Community members express concerns with Long-Term Care Board at Wednesday meeting
The Long-Term Care (LTC) Board met in regular session Wednesday evening and spent the majority of the meeting responding to questions from community members present.
One question presented to the board was in regards to alleged "nepotism" in the hiring of a new Director of Nursing (DON). The current Director of Nursing — Loretta Douglas — is in the position only in the interim, until the new DON starts on Sept. 5. When asked of her relation to the LTC Board, if any, Douglas noted that she is married to the nephew of board member Linda Douglas. Loretta Douglas continued by stating she was appointed by her merit and was just helping to fill the gap until the new DON starts.
The Nevada Daily Mail then asked Moore-Few Care Center Administrator Crystal Layman who the new DON would be and if they had any relation to any of the board members. Layman noted that the DON will be Jennifer Brumfield and she is the daughter of board member Bill Kohler. When asked if she were aware that this action may be in violation of a Missouri state statute regarding nepotism, Layman stated she did not. It was noted that the hiring process was not done by the board, but by Layman. The LTC Board currently does not have a Custodian of Records, having incorrectly believed that the City Clerk held these responsibilities. Access to closed session meeting minutes were not available at press time to verify how employment decisions were made regarding the new Director of Nursing.
Following discussion about the Director of Nursing position, the Nevada Daily Mail then asked if Moore-Few Care Center has any other instances of family members working in the same workplace. After noting a couple instances of family members working in various areas, Layman notably stated that her husband, Bryan Charles, is employed as the Business Office Manager. Another community member questioned whether this means that her husband answers directly to her, to which Layman stated he did not — that he reports to Human Resources (HR). After several community members questioned the veracity of this claim, the Nevada Daily Mail inquired whether Moore-Few Care Center could produce their organizational chart to clarify the chain-of-command. It was noted that those present from Moore-Few Care Center and on the LTC board did not know where a current copy of an organizational chart could be located. Layman noted that her husband has a background in farming accounting.
Following up on a "Immediate Jeopardy" tag Moore-Few Care Center recently received from the state, the Nevada Daily Mail asked if the state had fined the facility. According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS), this tag is applied when there "is a situation in which immediate corrective action is necessary because the provider’s noncompliance with one or more requirements of participation or conditions of participation has caused, or is likely to cause, serious injury, harm, impairment, or death to an individual receiving care in a facility."
The tag MFCC received stated that "facility staff failed to provide protective oversight for all residents when the facility did not have a policy and system in place to monitor residents who entered the enclosed courtyard in weather with a period of increased heat/humidity, which resulted in one resident becoming unresponsive with an elevated temp." This tag stems from a resident being left unattended in the courtyard for a period of four hours, resulting in the resident being sunburned and lethargic.
The tag notes that the "lack of staff policy and frequent monitoring of residents outside, including the enclosed courtyard, in extreme temperatures, can result in heat related illnesses" and "immediate action" needs to be taken to address monitoring of residents while outside.
Layman noted that there was no fine associated with the incident. However, the facility received another tag for "failure to notify family" that was associated with the same incident.