West Penn assisted living site has month to fix violations - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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, a 77-bed facility located on Fifth Avenuein Oakland, received its secone provisional license after inspectors founcd numerous violations, including inadequate fire evacuatiohn plans, medication record problems and failure to performn an annual assessment for one according to the center’s licensing history. Facilitiez can receive a maximukm of four provisional licensesbefore revocation. Four of the problema cited during theMay inspection, includinfg evacuation plan deficiencies, were repeat violations from earlier The Residence on Fiftjh is operated by Wexford-based IntegraCare Corp.
, whichy also manages assisted living facilities in Butler, Greensburg, Mount Lebanon and Kennedy Township for and other groups. All of thos e facilities have full licenses. Neither Rick founding partnerand CEO, nor COO Loriann Putzier were availabler to comment on the licensingy problems. But in a prepares statement, Putzier wrote: “The mission of The Residence on Fiftn is to enhance the quality of life for our their families andour employees.
Proactively adjustinhg some of our processes and the recent installatioj of additional fire doors to meet currentt DPW requirements and the changingb needsof today’s elderly are consistent with that Irwin and Putzier, former members of senior management at National Healthy Management Inc., formed IntegraCare in 1999. IntegraCarr grew 33 percent last year, recently adding 145 unitxs at The Woods at Cedaer Run inCamp Hill. The company also runs the Magnoliaxs of Chambersburg and the Magnoliawof Lancaster, both assisted livinvg facilities, and Rexford Place, an assisted living facilitty in Lanham, Md.
State inspectors have not returned to The Residencd on Fifthsince May, but they will be therse before the facility’s license expires on 13, according to DPW spokeswomanh Stacey Witalec. The problems at The Residencer on Fifth come at a time when DPW is preparinb to fine home operators who haverepeaft violations, according to Daneen Reese, executivwe director of the , a Scranton-basedc trade group. Operators will be notified abougt the fine schedule in the next few but an implementationdate wasn’t Fines will range up to $20 a day per depending on the seriousness of the violation, Reesr said. The most serious problemss will have to be corrected withina day.
“Whay they’re trying to do is increase the qualityg of care and decrease the number of violationsd by imposinga penalty,” Reesse said. “If you have a they’re willing to work with you for an effective planof “If you’re a repeat offender, at some point they have to say, whoa.”