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The action comes after multiple investigations revealed deficiencies at the long-term care facility, including financial instability, staffing shortages, unsafe equipment, and failure to meet basic standards of care.
Key Violations Identified
- No Full-Time Administrator: The licensed administrator has not been on-site in over six months, leaving day-to-day operations to an unlicensed individual.
- No Hot Water: Residents have been without hot showers for months due to a broken boiler, with water temperatures ranging from 68 to 70 degrees.
- Food Supply Issues: The facility is operating on a cash-on-delivery basis with vendors, leading to substitutions and insufficient stock. Only a two-day supply of food was available during a recent inspection.
- Trash Build-Up: Trash and recycling had gone uncollected for extended periods.
- Financial Problems: The facility narrowly avoided a utility shutoff after entering into a payment plan with PSE&G for $144,982 in overdue bills. It is also delinquent on real estate taxes and failed to meet payroll obligations, leaving employees waiting for reimbursement of dishonored paychecks.
Immediate Corrective Actions Ordered
The Department has given Medford Care Center 72 hours to address the following issues:
- Provide proof of a working boiler to supply consistent hot water.
- Submit transfer agreements with alternate care facilities for emergency evacuations.
- Secure contracts with food vendors to ensure adequate supplies through December.
- Demonstrate the ability to meet payroll and operational expenses for the next 30 days.
Failure to meet the requirements may result in an immediate suspension of the facility’s license and the transfer of residents to alternate care providers.
Resident Safety in Jeopardy
The Department cited a July 2024 survey revealing that the facility failed to meet staffing ratios on all reviewed day shifts and lacked basic operational equipment like a functioning stove, which had been out of service since a fire in May.
Residents, families, and legal representatives will be notified of relocation plans if the license is suspended.
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