The Iowa Board of Nursing Home Administrators has ordered a disciplinary hearing to held in October in association with charges filed against a former nursing home administrator in Tabor. Mitchell Worcester, of Tabor, who served as the administrator of the Tabor Manor Care facility from October 2007 through July 2011, was charged with Professional Incompetence, Negligence, and Violation of Regulations, rules or laws pertaining to nursing home administrators. A disciplinary contested case hearing is scheduled to take place October 11^th, in Des Moines.

The Board says under Worcester’s administration, the facility lacked adequate policies and procedures to guide staff in the performance of their duties, in several areas including: Completion of Incident Reports; Ensuring proper physician and family notifications regarding residents; Investigating allegations or suspicions of resident abuse, and handling those incidents.

The Board says under Worcester’s administration, Tabor Manor staff did not respond appropriately to multiple resident-on-resident sexual encounters, including five separate incidents whereby a resident admitted in December 2007 was suspected or directly accused of sexually accosting other residents, from June 2008 through October 2008. One of the alleged victims was not promptly treated and assessed for rape, despite evidence supporting the incident. The resident suspected of rape was released from the facility in October 2008, without documentation of cause or family notification.

To view additional information on the case visit: http://www.idph.state.ia.us/IdphPLActions/Archive.aspx  On the drop-down menu, select Nursing Home Administrators Board, and click on the link to a pdf file on the IBNHA’s Notice of Hearing and Statement of Charges pertaining to Worcester.