Multiple Covid-19 Violations at PA Hospital

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

State surveyors say multiple violations of Covid-19 care requirements were observed at a 149-bed behavioral hospital, including an employee, who had tested positive for the virus interacting with a patient without properly wearing a face mask.
The details of the September survey at the First Hospital of the Wyoming Valley were included in a report made public late last week. The violations of state and federal rules on care for Covid-19 cases were observed both in person and by viewing surveillance videos at the Kingston facility.
The surveyors visited the hospital on Sept. 4 and again from Sept. 8 to Sept. 10.
The violations ranged from failing to properly screen patients prior to admission to failure to provide oversight of nursing staff to ensure they were properly using Personal Protective Equipment.
Surveyors personally observed an employee using a cell phone, a prohibited practice, in a patient care area.
The facility policy required leaving personal cell phones in a first floor locker room, according to the Sept. 10 report.
The hospital is part of Commonwealth Health, which boasts of its system-wide measures to keep patients and visitors safe during the ongoing pandemic.
A hospital spokeswoman, Annmarie Poslock, said the facility "implemented a plan of correction accepted by the Pennsylvania Department of Health following the September inspection." She said directors and providers have been retrained on infection control protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention including the appropriate use of personal protective equipment.
She said the hospital does not currently have any Covid-19 cases. The hospital also was cited for failing to properly screen patients prior to admission.
The report cites three patients who were not pre-screened and later tested positive for Covid-19.
In seven of seven patient records reviewed the hospital had failed to ensure patients were tested prior to admission.
Other screening steps were absent in 12 of 26 records reviewed. Those missing steps included asking patients about any recent elevated temperatures or for other symptoms prevalent in Covid-19 cases.
In its plan of correction the hospital said it would no longer admit patients with positive Covid-19 test results.
In reviewing videos the surveyors observed multiple cases of employees interacting with patients while not wearing masks or not wearing them of other Personal Protective Equipment properly.
As part of its plan of correction the hospital agreed to maintain a list of non-compliant employees.
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