UPDATE: Mission Point of Ishpeming responds to state report that says director of nursing left through window to avoid staff

ISHPEMING, Mich. (WLUC) - UPDATE: Mission Point Healthcare Services has responded to TV6 after a 179-page report from the state of Michigan described abuse and neglect at the Ishpeming facility.

The following statement was sent to TV6 on Thursday morning, after multiple requests for comment:

“We take very seriously our responsibility for and commitment to the health, welfare, and safety of our residents. That care starts and ends with strong onsite leadership. Upon receiving the report and further internal investigation, we immediately removed three administrative staff members and prioritized Ishpeming with heavy support from our regional care team. We have since hired replacements for the key administrative roles. While our regional leadership continues to spend a great deal of time with the new administrative team members and onsite at the facility to ensure a smooth transition, we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from our residents, families, and staff on the changes. Also, we are aggressively developing our plan of correction and have submitted it to LARA for approval. Moving forward Mission Point Healthcare Service leadership and facility leadership will continue to monitor the plan of correction to ensure substantial compliance.”

Facility employees called TV6 Wednesday night and said they have received a threat since the information was brought to light. Mission Point administration addressed the threat in Thursday’s statement:

“We reported the phone call and are working closely with local authorities and our internal administration and staff. Our team has been fully briefed and have a heightened focus on our security and active shooter policies and procedures. Our leadership team is staying in close contact with the facility to ensure we are following all the safety protocols.”

Mission Point is headquartered in Bingham Farms.

You can watch the TV6 report from Wednesday evening in the video player in this story. Click here to see the initial report from Tuesday evening.

Last published: Feb 16, 2023 8:21:08 AM

UPDATE: On Wednesday evening, a Mission Point employee reached out to TV6 to confirm that the director of nursing and nursing home administrator mentioned in a state report no longer work for Mission Point.

The employee said training for all current staff is underway and asked for complaints to be directed toward Mission Point’s corporate office.

TV6 left multiple emails with Mission Point’s corporate communications team but didn’t hear back.

Last published: Feb 15, 2023 6:52:29 PM

In a state of Michigan report, concerns were revealed about the Mission Point Nursing & Physical Rehabilitation Center of Ishpeming. These involved multiple residents left in soiled briefs and a lack of consistent showers.

One resident was saturated with urine down to his shoes, with his skin caked in stool.

Another resident said they asked a CNA to change their briefs. The CNA responded by swearing at them and throwing their briefs across the room.

A core problem at Mission Point, according to multiple staff members and residents, is inadequate nurse staffing.

In a January 5 interview, a staff member said the staffing situation was the worst it had been in their 10 years working at Mission Point.

The state report said 25 Mission Point residents need two-person assistance, but only four aides are scheduled per shift. When presented with this information, the nursing home administrator said, “Oh, my.”

On January 4th, all residents of the 200 and 300 halls were left without a nurse for four hours, causing seven residents not to get their medications, including insulin.

Four staff members said the director of nursing had a tendency to sneak out the window when leaving, with two of those staff members saying this was so she could avoid staff stopping her in the hallway to talk to her.

In a January 11 interview, a regional clinical director was surprised when she was shown how much the DON worked from home.

While working from home, the state report found the DON fraudulently logged that she had observed skin sweeps for 24 residents.

The DON admitted to interviewers that this was fraudulent activity.

Another finding from the report showed a resident known as Resident #4 loaned a combined $190 to a CNA and an NA that was not paid back.

Law enforcement got involved and Resident #4 was reimbursed by the administrator and both employees were fired.

After law enforcement investigated, the facility was made aware that the NA was charged with a felony for possession of a controlled substance while employed by Mission Point.

Mission Point employees are required by their consent and disclosure agreement to let their employer know if they have a felony.

The CNA who got money from Resident #4 had also been charged with a misdemeanor for third degree retail fraud.

Both employees were charged with one count of misappropriation of Resident #4′s property and are barred from working in any federal or state nursing facility.

According to the report, Mission Point had also developed a history of unpaid bills.

A staff member referred to as #C6 said they were met at the facility’s door by an electric utility vendor, who was holding a sign saying “Notice.”

Staff #C6 said the vendor told them, “I have got the shut-off notice.”

The NHA confirmed the center’s television service was shut off from September 5 to September 9, 2022, due to unpaid bills.

A staff member referred to as #C18 said there was also a shut-off notice from the facility’s natural gas supplier.

Staff reported the facility ran out of depends and incontinence wipes multiple times, with staff saying they had to run to the store and pay out of pocket to get them. Staff also reported having to pay out of pocket for gas for a company vehicle due to the company credit card being maxed out.

The report said a local hardware store, pharmacy, mechanical repair vendor, plumbing vendor and plowing company all could no longer be utilized by Mission Point because of non-payment issues.

According to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, the state Bureau of Survey and Certification issued an “immediate jeopardy” for Mission Point after a resident referred to as Resident #12 was found with no pulse or respirations.

You can read more about the death of that resident from TV6′s previous report here.

An “immediate jeopardy” means immediate corrective action is necessary.

On January 10, the state said Mission Point came up with an “acceptable abatement plan” to prevent an incident like the death of Resident #12 from happening again.

The licensed nurse involved was suspended pending investigation.

The NHA and DON got counseling from the regional director of operations to make sure appropriate personnel are notified about “adverse events.”

Mission Point’s plan says all clinical staff were educated on the CPR policy, proper use of emergency equipment and the location of code status for each resident.

TV6 left multiple emails with Mission Point’s corporate communications team but didn’t hear back.

You can read the state’s 179-page report in its entirety here.

In October, TV6 looked into additional reports of abuse and neglect at the Mission Point location in Hancock.

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