Dateline: August 21, 2003

MCNH gets good news from state inspectors

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

A state team found no deficiencies at the Medical Center Nursing Home last week when the Texas Department of Human Services conducted its annual review of the facility.

Donley County Hospital District Administrator Alan Graham said it’s rare for a nursing home to have zero deficiencies given the broad scope of the inspection.

“They look at everything – life safety code, state and federal regulations compliance, food preparation and sanitation, and administration,” he said.

Graham said there is a lot more to operating a nursing home than meets the eye, and the annual inspection examines every facet of that operation from patients’ rights issues to how tight doors seal under the fire code to the amount of light at bed level.

The four-member state team made its unannounced visit Monday through Wednesday of last week; and while they did discuss some items that will need to be addressed under upcoming code changes, Graham said the inspectors told him there were no deficiencies and they were very complimentary of the facility.

Graham said there have been no quality of life issues at the home in the last several years; but in looking at old reports back through the early 1990s, he could find no instance of another time when their were zero deficiencies. Glenda Wilson, who has worked at the nursing home for 21 years, said she could not remember a time when there were no deficiencies in any department.

The report is something for the Medical Center and the community to be proud of, and it is the result of people working together, Graham said.

“The cohesiveness of our team at all levels is what made this possible,” he said. “We have a highly qualified staff, and we’re committed to giving the best care and the best service.”

Graham also credited the residents and the hospital board for adding to the family-like atmosphere at the home.

Director of Nurses Vickie Robertson agreed with Graham’s comments.

“The resident is always our first concern,” she said. “We all work together, and there is no one person who is solely responsible for resident care.”

Medical Center Nursing Home also has a high employee retention rate and boasts a five-star rating for 1999-2003 from the Gannett News Service’s Nursing Home Quality Report.