Talihina Veterans Center to phase out special needs unit

 


TALIHINA, Okla. (AP) — The Talihina Veterans Center has stopped accepting residents with behavioral issues and has begun phasing out its 48-bed special needs unit after troubling deaths and a severe nursing staff shortage.

The Oklahoman (http://bit.ly/2nTjdGF ) reports the center came under scrutiny in recent months after the two high-profile deaths of 73-year-old Owen Reese Peterson and 70-year-old Leonard Smith. Peterson died of sepsis and was found with maggots in his body, and advanced dementia resident Smith choked to death.

Doug Elliott, deputy director of the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, says the center has been written up three times since December for violations that placed residents in immediate jeopardy.

Administrators say they fear that unless major changes are made federal officials could take actions that would result in the closure of the facility.

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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com

 

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