Petitioner: AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION
Respondent: PACIFICA SUN CITY, LP, D/B/A SUN CITY RETIREMENT RESIDENCE
Judges: R. BRUCE MCKIBBEN
Agency: Agency for Health Care Administration
Locations: Ruskin, Florida
Filed: Mar. 27, 2009
Status: Closed
Settled and/or Dismissed prior to entry of RO/FO on Tuesday, April 7, 2009.
Latest Update: Jan. 05, 2025
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STATE OF FLORIDA
AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION
STATE OF FLORIDA, AGENCY FOR
HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION,
Petitioner, Case No. 2009000430
ve
PACIFICA SUN CITY LP d/b/a
SUN CITY RETIREMENT RESIDENCE,
Respondent.
/
ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINT
COMES NOW the Agency for Health Care Administration (the
“Agency”) and files this Administrative Complaint against
Pacifica Sun City LP d/b/a Sun City Retirement Residence
(“Respondent” or “Respondent Facility”), pursuant to Sections
120.569 and 120.57, Florida Statutes (2008), and alleges:
NATURE OF THE ACTION
This is an action to impose an administrative fine in the
amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), based upon one cited
State Class If deficiency pursuant to Sections 429.19(2) (b) and
(3), Florida Statutes (2008), and to impose and a survey fee of
five hundred dollars ($500.00) pursuant to Sections 429.19 and
429.28, Florida Statutes (2008), or such other relief as this
tribunal may determine.
JURISDICTION AND VENUE
1. The Agency has jurisdiction pursuant to Sections
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20.42, 120.60, and 429.07, and Chapter 408, Part II, Florida
Statutes (2008).
2. Venue lies pursuant to Florida Administrative Code R.
28-106.207.
PARTIES
3. The Agency is the regulatory authority responsible for
licensing assisted living facilities and enforcing all
applicable state statutes and rules governing assisted living
facilities pursuant to Chapter 408, Part II, and Chapter 429,
Part I, Florida Statutes, and Chapter 58A-5 Florida
Administrative Code,
4. Respondent operates a one hundred and twenty (120) bed
assisted living facility located at 3855 Upper Creek Drive,
Ruskin, Florida 33573, and is licensed as an assisted living
facility, license number 7290.
5. At all times material to the allegations of this
complaint, Respondent was a licensed facility under the
licensing authority of the Agency and was required to comply
with all applicable rules and statutes.
COUNT I
6. The Agency re-alleges and incorporates above
Paragraphs one (1) through five (5), as if fully set forth in
this count,
7. Rule 58A-5.019(4) (b), Florida Administrative Code
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(2008), requires:
(bo) Notwithstanding the minimum staffing requirements
specified in paragraph (a), all facilities, including
those composed of apartments, shall have enough
qualified staff to provide resident supervision, and
to provide or arrange for resident services in
accordance with the residents scheduled and
unscheduled service needs, resident contracts, and
resident care standards as described in Rule 58A-
5.0182, F.A.C.
8. Rule 58A-5.0182, Florida Administrative Code (2008),
requires:
An assisted living facility shall provide care and
services appropriate to the needs of residents
accepted for admission to the facility.
(1) SUPERVISION. Facilities shall offer personal
supervision, as appropriate for each resident,
ineluding the following:
(a) Moniter the quantity and quality of resident diets
in accordance with Rule 59A-5.020, F.A.C.
9. On December 5, 2008, the Agency conducted a complaint
investigation of Respondent Facility.
9.1. Based upon interviews with staff and family
members as well as observation on December 5, 2008, the
facility failed to provide sufficient staffing to meet the
needs of 31 residents in the secure area of the facility.
9.2, Observations were made in the secure memory care
unit. from approximately 5:00 p.m. until approximately 7:00
p.m.
9.3, Initially upon entering the secure memory unit,
one staff person was visible in the large common area.
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Observed at this time were about 20 residents sitting in
the common area. The TV was on at low volume, Christmas
music was playing. The same song repeated itself over and
over. Residents were not involved in any activity and
there was no consistent staff interaction with the
residents. Some residents appeared to be resting with eyes
closed, others just staring into space. Other residents
were observed wandering. Two female residents walked in
from the patio aréa arti-in-arm; one of these residents was
in bare feet. A member of Respondent’s staff came over to
put sneakers on the shoeless resident and commented that
the resident “will just pull them off again.” Members of
Respondent’s staff were in and out of the common area,
apparently taking residents who required care back to their
room. A staff person was asked how many staff were on
duty, and she responded there were three staff. One female
resident was observed sitting in an armchair of the common
area with a clothing protector already on. The clothing
protector, which resembled a bib, was dingy looking and
somewhat frayed.
9.4. At about 5:30 p.m. Respondent's staff started
bringing the 31 residents into the dining area. Beverages
for the evening meal were placed at some of the tables.
Two members of Respondent ’s staff led residents into the
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14:14 AGENCY HEALTH CARE ADMIN 856 921 @158
dining room, while another member of Respondent’s staff was
involved in passing residents their medications. As staff
sat residents down at tables and went to gather other
residents, the residents who had been seated would get back
up. Others who remained seated were observed attempting to
drink beverages using spoons.
9.5, An unsupervised resident was observed walking
around in the staff office and medication room, while staff
members were out of the room passing medications. This
resident walked over to the medication cart and fumbled
with papers on top of the cart, then picked up the
telephone as it rang.
9.6. Another female resident walked out to the dining
area without pants on. Both members of Respondent's staff
immediately approached this resident to bring her back to
her room to dress.
9.7. At about 5:45 p.m. food service staff brought
soup to the dining area. At this time the two direct care
staff members were still engaged in getting residents to
the table or were in rooms with residents. One resident
was observed feeding another resident some fruit cocktail
that had been brought out. The feeding resident would used
one spoon to feed both residents. Staff being busy did not
notice the sharing of the spoon. The resident continued to
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feed the other resident the main entree until about 6:10
p.m., when the surveyor finally brought the sharing of a
spoon to staff member’s attention. The resident who was
feeding the other resident was not eating her own meal.
Several other residents were not eating and were playing
with their food or their neighbor’s food. One female
resident asked the surveyor for help stating, “Ma'am, I
need someone to help, eat". A family member of one of the
residents, who was seated at a table with her father, was
helping another female resident at the same table with her
meal. A fourth staff person, the Wellness Director, came
in to help out at about 5:45 p.m.
9.8. At 6:30 p.m, when the surveyor went to observe
the rest of the medication pass, some of the residents were
Still observed playing with their food. Meal-time
assistance was not provided due to staff attempting to
intervene and re-direct those residents they could.
9.9, Given the level of assistance the 31 residents in
this secure area were observed to need, it was impossible
for the three to four staff members available to provide
the care required and ensure that residents received meal
time assistance.
9.10. Agency surveyors concluded that the number of
staff Respondent made available to the memory care unit
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were not enough to provide the level of care needed for the
residents in the memory care unit. This lack of assistance
with eating puts residents’ health at risk for unintended
weight loss, malnutrition, and exposure to communicable
illness.
10, The Agency determined that this deficient practice of
Respondent Facility’s failure to adequately ensure that an
adequate number of staff members were available to assist and
care for residents was related to the personal care of the
residents of Respondent Facility that directly threatened the
health, safety, or security of the residents and cited
Respondent for a State Class IT deficiency pursuant to §
429,19(2) (b), Florida Statutes (2008).
11. The Agency provided Respondent with a mandatory
correction date of January 5, 2009,
12. WHEREFORE, the Agency intends to impose an
administrative fine in the amount of $1,000.00 against
Respondent, an assisted living facility in the State of Florida,
pursuant to §§ 429.19(2) (b) and (3), Florida Statutes (2008), or
such further relief as this tribunal deems just.
COUNT IT
13. The Agency re-alleges and incorporates above
paragraphs one (1) through five (5) and Count I, as if fully set
forth in this count.
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14, Seetion 429.28(3) (¢), Florida Statutes (2008),
requires:
(c) During any calendar year in which no survey is
conducted, the agency shall conduct at least one
Monitoring visit of each facility cited in the
previous year for a class I or class JI violation, or
more than three uncorrected class III violations.
15. Pursuant to § 429,19(7), Florida Statutes (2008):
(7) In addition to any administrative fines imposed,
the agency may assess a survey fee, equal to the
lesser of one half of the facility's biennial license
and bed fee or $ 500, to cover the cost of conducting
initial complaint investigations that result in the
finding of a violation that was the subject of the
complaint or monitoring visits conducted under s.
429.28(3) (c) to verify the correction of the
violations.
16. A fee for a monitoring visit must he assessed, even
though the survey will occur in the future, See, Agency for
Health Care Administration v. Luz Home for the Elderly, Inc.,
d/b/a/ Luz Home tor the Elderly, Case No. 02-263PH (Agency for
Health Care Administration).
17. The above Count I results from an initial complaint
investigation which found one or more Class II violations that
were the subject of the complaint, or a monitoring visit will be
conducted.
18. Respondent is therefore subject to a survey or
monitoring fee of five hundred dollars ($500.00), pursuant to
Section 429.19(7), Florida Statutes (2008).
WHEREFORE, the Agency intends to impose an additional
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survey or monitoring fee of five hundred dollars ($500.00)
against Respondent, an assisted living facility in the State of
Florida, pursuant to § 429.19(7), Florida Statutes (2008).
Aone
mes H. Harris
Fla. Bar. Na. 817775
Counsel for Petitioner
Agency for Health Care Administration
525 Mirror Lake Drive, 330H
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
727.552.1535 (office)
727.552.1440 (fax)
Respondent is notified that it has a right to request an
administrative hearing pursuant to Section 120.569, Florida
Statutes. Respondent has the right to retain, and be represented
by an attorney in this matter. Specific options for
administrative action are set out in the attached Election of
Rights.
All requests for hearing shall be made to the Agency for Health
Care Administration, and delivered to Agency Clerk, Agency for
Health Care Administration, 2727 Mahan Drive, Bldg #3,MS #3,
Tallahassee, FL 32308;Telephone (850) 922-5873.
RESPONDENT IS FURTHER NOTIFIED THAT THE FAILURE TO REQUEST A
HEARING WITHIN 21 DAYS OF RECEIPT OF THIS COMPLAINT WILL RESULT
IN AN ADMISSION OF THE FACTS ALLEGED IN THE COMPLAINT AND THE
ENTRY OF A FINAL ORDER BY THE AGENCY.
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I HEREBY CERTIFY that a true and correct copy of the
foregoing has been served by U.S. Certified Mail, Return Receipt
No.7007 0220 0001 1589 3843 to Paracorp Incorporated, Registered
Agent for Pacifica Sun City LP d/b/a Sun City Retirement
Residence, 236 East 6* Avenue, Tallahassee, Florida 32303, and
by U.S, Certified Mail, Return Receipt No. 7007 0220 0001 1589
32850 to Claudine Alexander-Leger, Administrator, Sun City
Retirement Reson: 201 17° stre t, NW, Ruskin, Florida 33570,
on February is _, 2009.
es H. Harris, Esquire
istant General Counsel
MAR-2?-2089 14:16
Copies furnished to:
AGENCY HEALTH CARE ADMIN
Mar 2? 2009 14:03
856 921 4158
Claudine Alexander-Leger
Administrator
Sun City Retirement Residence
3855 Upper Creek Drive
Ruskin, Florida 33573
(U.8,. Certified Mail)
James H. Harris, Esq.
Agency for Health Care Admin.
525 Mirror Lake Drive, 330H
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(Interoffice)
Paracorp Incorporated
Registered Agent for Pacifica
Sun City LP d/b/a Sun City
Retirement Residence
236 Bast 6° avenue,
Tallahassee, Florida
(U.S. Certified Mail)
32303
Kathleen Varga
Facility Evaluator Supervisor
525 Mirror Lake Dr., 4°" Fl.
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
(Interoffice)
10
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Docket for Case No: 09-001612