Enid nursing home facing allegations of physical and verbal abuse of residents - Enid, OK - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

Allegations of physical and verbal abuse of residents are what prompted this story at Enid's The Commons nursing home.

Article text:

A recent Oklahoma State Department of Health report alleges multiple cases of verbal and physical abuse at an Enid nursing home.

The health department report cites several instances of abuse and neglect against at least five residents at The Commons in Enid.

“They identified significant non-compliance, keeping the residents safe from abuse and harm,” said Dr. Latrina Frazier of the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

The Enid Continuing Care Retirement Community has been cited for multiple alleged counts of improper conduct by employees toward their residents.

“There was the allegation of the staff being verbally abusive. There was the incident of physical abuse by the staff,” said Frazier.

The report also references an incident where a nurse failed to provide pain medication to a resident, and another where a Commons employee failed to notify the doctor of the patient’s condition after repeated seizures.

“That speaks to some of the negligence that was identified,” said Frazier.

But the report also details allegations that the commons failed to investigate complaints, report allegations of abuse and then protect those residents from further abuse during investigations.

“The employee, or whomever the alleged perpetrator was, was allowed to work and it seems with no restrictions or limitations even though there was an investigation occurring,” said Frazier.

The State Department of Health ruling these were not isolated incidents… and that the facility showed “immediate jeopardy to resident health and safety.”

“It also shows that there is a pattern,” said Frazier.

“We have significantly made changes,” said Tom Sheets, President of the Commons Board of Directors.

He maintains the report was harsh, but they are not minimizing allegations.

Sheets says at least three employees have been terminated.

The Commons and the Health Department agree some of the incidents involved patients with mental illness.

“Residents still have rights and again we do take all allegations seriously even if we believe there are issues,” said Sheets.

The OSDH is currently reviewing those changes and will be back at the facility to make sure problems are corrected. If not, the facility could face strong punishment from the state including fines.

Type of publication: Television When was the article reported?: 08/04/2021 Publication: kfor Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: local News Category: Crime

Visit Instructions:
Give the date of your visit at the news location along with a description of what you learned or experienced.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.