Nursing home hit with $100K fine

The state Department of Public Health has given Chico’s Twin Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center its most serious citation, Class AA, following the death of a 98-year-old woman in February. The citation carries a $100,000 penalty.

The woman, described as feeble and demented, died on Dec. 7, 2007. According to the citation, she was about to be put to bed when the two CNAs attending her were called away by another patient’s family member. When they returned to her 20 or 30 minutes later, they found her chair had toppled over and she had choked to death on the restraint.

In her official response to the citation, the skilled nursing facility’s executive director, Barbara Addington, noted several corrective actions that would be taken, including prioritizing safety issues over all others and additional in-service training. In a phone interview, she acknowledged that the CNAs had erred. “If they had had a crystal ball, they would have made a different call,” she said.