‘Clear this place up:’ Senior residing facility ‘making progress’ after worker raises mattress bugs considerations

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) – After a former employee at a senior living facility contacted 12 On Your Side with concerns, Blue Ridge Senior Living says it is addressing issues and working to maintain the “highest level of hygiene.”

Tammy Owen Ogunmokun has worked in healthcare for 30 years and says she “never saw a facility like Blue Ridge Senior Living on Gayton Road in Henrico.”

Owen Ogunmokun has worked as a certified care assistant and personal care assistant. She says she has worked at Blue Ridge Senior Living twice in her career, most recently from February to April 2022.

“I was bitten by bed bugs. I have pictures on my phone,” she said. “Cockroaches (were) crawling down the wall, crawling on them, bed bugs are between the mattresses. The residents have bed sores that can only be treated by a nurse.”

Tammy Owen Ogunmokun says she suffered from bed bug bites while working at Blue Ridge Senior Living.(NBC 12)

She started carrying a clear bag to work every day to see any bugs that might have crawled into her stuff.

Tammy Owen Ogunmokun called 12 On Your Side concerned about living conditions at Blue Ridge Senior Living on Gayton Road.(NBC 12)

Owen Ogunmokun says she began raising concerns with administrators and eventually quit.

“I said, ‘Before I go, would you all please clean up here?’ My biggest concern is for the residents – the staff are going home but they have to stay there and my heart goes out to them – they are elderly people,” she explained. “I want family members to know that either they clean this place up or you get your loved one out.”

After she left Blue Ridge, Owen Ogunmokun said she filed a complaint with the Department of Human Services.

“I was on the phone with them for (almost) an hour,” she explained.

On its website, Blue Ridge Senior Living says its goal is “to provide quality health care and services in an environment that promotes dignity, respect and independence for your loved one; that is the essence of Blue Ridge Senior Living in Richmond.”

In addition, the facility offers:

• 47 state-of-the-art surveillance cameras
• Over 100 completely renovated apartments
• 25,000 square foot memorial care unit

The On Your Side Investigators first contacted the Department of Social Services in May 2022. In November 2022, the agency wrote the following:

On April 19, 2022, the Licensing Programs Division opened an investigation related to received concerns. The investigation has been completed and the results of the inspections are included in the online summaries dated May 27, 2022. Please visit the Division of Licensing Program website to view the referenced documents.

In April 2022, several violations were identified, including:

Based on review of the facility’s records and interviews conducted with the facility’s administrator, the facility has not ensured that care is provided in a manner that promotes each resident’s independence and enables them to fulfill their potential.

Evidence: Resident #1 – Documented date of admission – 02/15/2022. On 02/19/2022 at 02:20; Three days after the admission, the resident left the building through a side door on the first floor. During interviews, the head of the facility said the door was not alarmed.

At the time of the incident, resident #1 was staying on the first floor. Local police were not contacted until approximately 6 hours after the resident left the facility.

Based on a review of facility records, facility employees #6 and 7 were the only two facility employees assigned to the first floor of the facility.

When asked, the facility did not provide any documentation that a facility file was created for the two employees who were responsible for the care of resident no. 1.

During interviews, the facility manager stated that Resident #1 has been housed in the facility’s secure unit since this incident.

However, upon request during the review of the facility’s records and interviews conducted on 04/19/2022, the facility administrator did not submit any documented evidence for the inspector’s review that resident #1 prior to 02/19/2022 conducted behaviors since admission showed that required an evaluation by an independent clinical psychologist or that determined that resident #1 had been diagnosed with severe cognitive impairment due to a primary psychiatric diagnosis of dementia, with an inability to recognize danger or to ensure his or her own safety and well-being protection.

Plan of Correction: FACILITY RESPONSE – “Emergency staff provide care for missing persons and residents. Business Office Manager to conduct a full review of employee records and any missing paperwork will be completed. A resident has been diagnosed with dementia, the resident’s doctor has completed the required paperwork for the secure unit.”

A license renewal inspection was conducted in August 2022 and found the following violations:

Based on observations, the manager has failed to ensure that the interior of all buildings is kept in good condition and clean and free of rubbish.

Evidence: As evidenced by photographs taken and accompanied by the facility manager and director of care on 08/24/2022, 08/30/2022, the following was observed in multiple resident rooms throughout the facility:

– Dark spots on the ceiling tile.

– It was observed that several residents’ rooms and closets were stuffed with clothing and other items.

– A used bowl with food stains was left unattended in a resident’s room.

– A bag with residents’ clothes was observed on the floor behind a chair.

– Bedroom walls were stained

– One resident’s mattress and box spring sheets were stained in some areas with stains that the administrator described as remnants of bed bug treatment.

– In a resident’s bedroom, it was observed that a used bottle of Gatorade, an open container of Certain, and a plastic water bottle containing a small quantity of dark liquid were left unattended on the resident’s end table.

– In a resident’s bathroom, an unfolded and stained white blanket and plunger were observed on the floor under the toilet.

Corrective Action Plan: A checklist will be established to regularly inspect residents’ rooms to ensure they are kept in good condition and free of litter.

Based on observations, the facility has not ensured that all buildings are free from foul, stale and musty odors.

Evidence: During the inspection of the physical facility accompanied by the DON, a foul smell was detected in several residents’ rooms on the third floor.

Correction Plan: INSTITUTION RESPONSE: “On duty all housekeepers on best practices for cleaning and mopping to remove foul, stale and musty odors. They ensure rooms are free of foul, stale and musty odors through spot checks by the manager.”

“I’ll get there one day, maybe someone needs to take care of me. I hope someone will do for me what I’m doing for these people. I hope someone speaks up,” said Owen Ogunmokun.

In a statement to NBC12, the chief executive of Blue Ridge Senior Living said the facility is now under new ownership and bed bugs have been addressed.

“As the new owners of Blue Ridge Senior Living, we are aware that the facility has had issues related to their safety and sanitation, and in particular the presence of bed bugs. Our review of the situation found that actions taken by Richmond’s leadership team over the past few months have largely alleviated the bed bug problem through a series of thermal treatments performed by an outside provider. We will continue to monitor the situation consistent with our commitment to ensure the facility maintains the highest standards of cleanliness and safety consistent with all of our senior care centers across the country.

We are in the process of communicating with our residents and their family members, where appropriate, to update them on our progress in maintaining the highest level of hygiene for the comfort and care of our residents.”

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