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Vergennes nursing home fighting closure

Vergennes, Vermont - July 12, 2010

The owner of a Vergennes nursing home is vowing to fight a state order shutting down the facility last month after finding numerous violations.

Just a few weeks ago, Virgie Booska owned Alden Place, a residential home care facility for the elderly in Vergennes. But the Vermont Department of Disability, Aging and Independent Living, decided to shut down the facility and revoke Booska's license after receiving complaints from workers at the home. In a report, investigators found the facility to be in violation of 23 regulations, including: Giving drugs and using medical restraints without doctor's orders, failure to provide adequate pain management to residents, not preventing resident accidents involving restraints, and failure to adequately train staff to address pain issues and develop care plans that address patient needs.

"Giving a Tums without a doctor's orders. I realize I take responsibility for that because my girls know they are supposed to call the doctor before giving anything, but come on -- that could have been corrected by calling a doctor. That's not a major issue. Nobody's ever overdosed on a Tums," Booska said.

State officials say the case is highly unusual and that revoking licenses for facilities like Alden Place are rare. We determined, based on our report, that the situation of immediate jeopardy did exist. And in our minds that indicates that there was either strong potential or likelihood that harm could occur," said Fran Keeler with the Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living.

Booska and her attorney are appealing the state's decision to close, and she remains steadfast in her innocence. "They just came in and took my license. No warning, nothing," Booska said "There was never any harm ever done to the residents, they weren't in harms way like the state had indicated. I really don't know why they pulled my license. They were happy, I was happy."

Tomorrow on the six o'clock news, we'll talk to a former resident of Alden Place to find out where she moved to once the facility was closed, and we'll also take the pulse of some of the other residential care facilities in Vermont.

Melinda Davenport - WCAX News