Shuksan care center faced debt, improper care violations before coronavirus, records show
A Bellingham skilled nursing facility now suffering from a severe COVID-19 outbreak was in a deep financial crisis last year that threatened to shutter the facility and faced numerous citations for improper care of its residents, according to federal inspection data reviewed by The Bellingham Herald.
The documents show a facility in turmoil even before the coronavirus swept through Washington state. To date, six residents at the Bellingham facility on James Street have died after testing positive for COVID-19, and nearly two dozen staff members have been infected. In total, 31 residents at the facility have tested positive for the new coronavirus since the start of the outbreak.
In late August 2019, the facility’s then-owner, WAATU Inc., was $800,000 behind on lease payments for two buildings, including their James Street facility. The company separately owed the IRS $618,000 in back taxes, as well as hundreds of thousands of dollars in other fines, fees and services, according to federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The inspection in early September 2019 also found the facility lacked a governing body that was supposed to be created to oversee WAATU Inc. and hold the company accountable. These issues created two “immediate jeopardy” violations at the facility, which is the most severe violation issued by federal inspectors.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/shuksan-care-center-faced-debt-improper-care-violations-before-coronavirus-records-show/ar-BB12cdLf