Local nursing home now in compliance with emergency generator directive

The local nursing home that had been called out for failing to submit plans to the Agency for Health Care Administration, or AHCA, is now in compliance with Gov. Rick Scott’s emergency rule, state officials announced late Thursday.

The directive required that nursing homes and assisted living facilities provide plans to the state agency by Oct. 31, detailing procedures to get enough generators and fuel to keep the facilities at 80 degrees or below for at least 96 hours. It came after Hurricane Irma cut the power to a Hollywood Hills nursing home, leading to sweltering conditions and the deaths of 13 people.

The state agency had listed Braden River Rehabilitation Center LLC as not having complied with the deadline, according to a press release sent Wednesday. The facility’s corporate office was contacted by the Bradenton Herald with no reply.

Fred Landy, the nursing home’s administrator, told the Bradenton Herald in an email Thursday that the facility has a 400 kW generator and a fuel tank that would last at least 96 hours.

“We provided our compliance plan to Manatee County Emergency Management, but there appears to have been an oversight in providing certain information to the Agency for Health Care Administration,” Landy wrote, adding that the AHCA was contacted shortly after.

Also Thursday, Manatee County Emergency Management received and approved plans from at least six of the 18 local assisted living facilities listed by the Department of Elder Affairs as not yet having sent plans to the state agency.

According to county spokesman Nick Azzara, the facilities whose plans have been received or approved as of 2:50 p.m. Thursday are: Bradenton Oaks Courtyard, Bradenton Palms, Inn at Freedom Village, Water’s Edge of Bradenton (listed previously as National Church Residences of Bradenton), Sunny Bower, The Windsor and Woodlands Village. This also includes the Braden River Rehabilitation Center LLC nursing home.

The state health agency noted that facilities that are not in compliance by Nov. 15 will be fined $1,000 and could face license revocation. All facilities, including ones that have requested waivers, have to follow the guidelines by the beginning of the 2018 hurricane season.

This story was originally published November 9, 2017 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Local nursing home now in compliance with emergency generator directive."