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Prairie View Health Care administrator Stephen M. Jones is one of four northeast Indiana nursing home administrators who received complaints filed against them by the Indiana attorney general's office recently.
The complaints could result in the administrators losing their licenses.
The complaints allege that the nursing homes the administrators manage had serious deficiencies that threatened the well-being of some residents.
According to the complaint against Jones, a physician was not informed immediately of significant changes in a resident's status or a need to alter treatment for the same resident. The nursing home also failed to provide the services of a registered nurse at least eight hours a day, seven days a week.
A total of 68 complaints have been filed by Attorney General Karen Freeman-Wilson against nursing home administrators in the past two weeks.
The Indiana Board of Health Facility Administrators will hear the cases and has the authority to suspend or revoke an administrator's license.
Today Jones said the complaints filed were the result of a survey of the facilities done last year. However, the complaints have since been brought into compliance.
He said he heard about the complaints only "last night, when I went home."
"I wasn't very surprised," he said, because he read that approximately 27 percent of the nursing home facilities in the state have had complaints filed against them recently. "I'm very disappointed.
"... This is something that the state has not enforced rigorously, ever," Jones said. "All of a sudden they've decided to do something." He said he isn't sure why.
As far as the nursing home goes, he reiterated the nursing home is fine and is in compliance with state and federal regulations.
The state, he said, has been increasing nursing home standards for a number of years and will continue to do so, which may be a reason why the state has filed the complaints.
Jones has worked in the health care field for more than 17 years, he said.
As for what will happen next, Jones said, "I suspect I go to a hearing. There's no date. From what I understand, they don't know how they're going to do this."
He said no date has been set and he doesn't know where he would go for a hearing. He said they've never had a problem before.
"I don't know what it all is about yet as it pertains to Steve Jones," he said. "I don't have an opinion. I wish it hadn't happened. I'm kind of floored."
The other three northeast Indiana nursing home administrators who face the loss of their licenses include:
• Rebecca Housman, Kingston Care Center, 1010 W. Washington Center Road, Fort Wayne.
• Larry Watkins, Cedars Nursing Home, 14409 Sunrise Court, Leo.
• John J. Sharp, Community Care Center, 850 Ash St., Huntington.
