Resident alleged to Nurse that a staff member punched and choked him. Nurse called the allegation into the AR child abuse hotline. Internal investigation: Camera review was conducted and multiple residents, including alleged victim, were interviewed. Written statements were collected 3/7/24. No bruising, injury, or discoloration noted on nursing evaluation. Alleged staff will remain on suspension pending the investigation. While internal findings do not lead to abuse/maltreatment at this time, protocol of going into Resident room without immediate supervision at the door was not followed. Policy will be reviewed with Staff by Program Director.
Licensing Specialist: Eleanor White.
Camera footage was reviewed on 03/07/24 and verified resident was walked out of his room in a restraint hold by staff member following a pencil and staff’s badge being thrown into the hall from resident’s room. Once in the hallway, staff used unnecessary force in taking the child to the floor. It did not appear that resident was resisting the restraint hold by staff before being taken to the floor. Facility staff explained that the staff member may have been escalated from being poked in the back by a pencil by the resident prior to the restraint. The facility SAMA instructor also viewed the camera footage with licensing and expressed concerns about the staff’s conduct during the restraint. This staff member is SAMA certified. His certification expires 06/13/24.
- Facility will be cited as follows: 905.9. Physical restraints shall be performed using minimal force and time necessary.
The CACD case was unsubstantiated. Licensing unfounded this complaint regarding the punching and choking of resident due to no camera in the resident’s bedroom. However, video review did show the staff member failing to use the minimal force necessary during the restraint hold. The staff (alleged offender) was terminated from the facility.