Photo Courtesy of Iowa Capital Dispatch

A Keota nursing home has been listed as a Special Focus Facility candidate in the latest data released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The Keota Health Care Center, also known as Harvest Acres Nursing and Rehab, was added to the list, which tracks nursing homes with a record of violations on inspections.

The designation comes following the September 2024 death of a resident and a myriad of violations found in a November inspection, which included: failure to protect residents from, report, and act on reports of abuse and neglect; failure to provide appropriate care; failure to remove accident hazards; and failure to ensure residents receive food designed to meet their needs.

While the most severe violations were found last November, they were not the first violations the facility had received, with inspections in January 2024, June 2023, and November 2022 also finding violations, including a failure to protect residents from abuse in the June 2023 report.

Care facilities can be removed from the program either by resolving its issues and graduating from the program or by being terminated from eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid services.