CT DSS orders patients transferred out of Windsor Locks nursing home over safety concerns

A nursing home in Windsor Locks will have to transfer all its residents by April 10 due to safety concerns, according to the Connecticut Department of Social Services (DSS).

The order comes a month after a 93-year-old Margaret “Peggy” Healey, who police said had Alzheimer’s or dementia, was found lying in the snow outside the Bickford Health Care Center.

Staff at Bickford found Healey lying in the snow at 5:07 a.m on Feb. 8., three hours and 17 minutes after she left the building, according to police.

Patrol officers were called to Bickford at 6:23 a.m., four and a half hours after Healey was seen exiting. She was pronounced dead at 6:46 a.m., police said.

Healey, who had Alzheimer’s or dementia, left through an employee entrance at the back of the building, which is designed to stay closed and locked, according to police. Detectives learned that the door is often left propped open and that the keypad access code is printed nearby.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) looked into Bickford following Healey’s death, and found the facility violated several state statutes in its response before and after Healey was found. DPH also said that Healey’s medical file at the facility did not include her “wandering behaviors” and interventions.

In the report, DPH also said that the facility failed to ensure that three emergency exit doors were maintained, and failed to ensure that the doors fully closed and latched after opening, or sounded an alarm when opened.

DPH also found other operational violations in the facility, including a lack of paperwork for radiology and lab work, as well as a failure to provide evidence of physician coverage for 24-hour coverage.

“The commissioner finds that the health, safety, and welfare of the patients in the facility is jeopardized,” DSS said.

DSS appointed a temporary manager for Bickford and will transfer all patients from the facility to participating facilities.

“This order reflects our commitment to ensuring that the individuals who call Bickford home are moved to safe, appropriate settings as quickly and compassionately as possible,” said DSS Commissioner Andrea Barton Reeves. “The Temporary Manager will work closely with DSS, DPH, and the Long Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO) to ensure each resident receives the care and support they need throughout this transition.”

“Ensuring the health, safety, and dignity of nursing home residents is a responsibility we take seriously at the Department of Public Health,” said DPH Commissioner Manisha Juthani, MD. “Our investigation made clear that the residents of Bickford Health Care Center deserved better. We are committed to working closely with DSS and the LTCO to ensure every individual is transitioned with care to a setting where they can receive the quality care they need and deserve.”