Appleton Area Health

In the surveyor’s words

From the most serious findings on record at Appleton Area Health, in the surveyor’s own words.

• Immediate jeopardy, isolatedF689Jun 30, 2021

  Based on observation, interview, and document review, the facility failed to establish adequate protective measures and supervision to ensure residents who were dependent on oxygen did not smoke while using portable oxygen for 1 of 4 residents (R23) who were listed as smokers in the facility. The deficiency was issued at Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) level as R23 remained at risk for significant injury or death related to smoking while oxygen was in use. The IJ began on 6/29/21, at 10:49 a.m. when R23 was observed smoking a cigarette in the designated smoking area while using a portable oxygen concentrator via nasal cannula and the oxygen was observed to be turned on. Smoking cigarettes in conjunction with using oxygen can rapidly accelerate combustion. […]

• No harm, potential for more than minimal, widespreadF880Jan 29, 2025

  Based on interview and document review the facility failed to have a current, ongoing system of surveillance to identify potential outbreaks of infectious disease, ensure transmission-based precautions (TBP) were implemented timely, perform root cause analysis with contact tracking to identify patterns of illness in staff or residents, and prohibit staff from returning to work prematurely following identified symptoms. This had the potential to affect all 33 residents in the facility. In addition, the facility failed to ensure 1 of 1 whirlpool tub was appropriately disinfected between resident use according to the manufacturer's directions. This had the potential to affect 10 of 32 residents who used the whirlpool tub. […]

• No harm, potential for more than minimal, widespreadF880Nov 8, 2023

  Based on interview and document review, the facility failed to act on a positive tuberculosis (TB) test result for 1 of 5 staff (housekeeping (HSK)-A) tested for active TB upon hire. Furthermore, the facility failed to ensure any person or persons with a positive history of TB was added to surveillance to mitigate potential risks for spread of possible active TB. This had the potential to affect all 43 residents, other staff, and visitors. Findings include: Review of housekeep (H)-A's employee file identified on 3/15/23, H-A's baseline TB Screening and questionnaire identified H-A had no symptoms of active TB however, it was identified that H-A had lived in Micronesia, and it was unknown if Micronesia had a high TB rate. […]

• No harm, potential for more than minimal, widespreadF812Jun 30, 2021

  Based on observation, interview, and document review the facility failed to make sure the fans in the kitchen were properly cleaned and free of dust which had the potential to affect all 43 residents in the facility. Findings include: During observation on 6/28/21, at 10:29 a.m. thick dust/debris was observed on black oscillating fan that was blowing towards the steam table and prep counters. During interview on 6/28/21, at 10:29 a.m. cook-A stated it was not sanitary to have dust on fan, she is not sure who cleans it. During interview on 6/28/21, at 10:52 a.m. […]

• No harm, potential for more than minimal, widespreadF880Jun 30, 2021

  Based on observation and interview, the facility failed to ensure appropriate personal protective equipment including surgical masks and eye protection was worn by staff having direct contact with residents. This had the potential to affect all residents residing in the facility. The facility also failed to ensure proper hand hygiene when handling oral medications for 1 of 5 residents (R5) observed during medication administration. Findings include: R5's Minimum Data Set (MDS) dated [DATE], indicated R5 had moderate cognitive impairment and was usually able to understand others. R5's diagnosis [MEDICAL RECORD OR PHYSICIAN ORDER] . On 6/29/21, at 5:23 p.m. […]