Eight assisted-living facilities in Tucson were fined $1,000 or more for failing to meet state health and safety standards during the first half of the year, Arizona health department records show.
The violations that prompted the fines included using untrained caregivers, operating without a manager, failure to properly document when medication was given and failure to ensure staff members did not have criminal backgrounds.
The stiffest penalties, ranging from $1,000 to more than $7,000, were levied against operators cited for repeated problems or for more significant violations.
Thirty-one other assisted-living operators in Tucson received lesser fines ranging from $250 to $750 between January and June, a review of online records of the Arizona Department of Health Services shows.
The three-year inspection history of all state-licensed care facilities is available online at tucne.ws/1i3z
To file a complaint about a live-in facility go to tucne.ws/1i3y
Here are the eight local care facilities fined the largest amounts this year. Some of the facilities may no longer be operating, while operators of others said the deficiencies have been corrected:
Aguilera Assisted Living Home
4740 W. Via Aguilera
Fined $7,690 on March 1 – its third fine in two years – for operating without a qualified manager and for failure to include a required termination clause in the contracts of two residents. A fine of $5,200 was assessed in March 2020 for operating without a qualified manager and for failure to ensure a staffer was properly trained to deal with medical emergencies and a $500 fine was imposed in January 2019 for failing to apply for relicensing by the state’s deadline.
Management did not respond to a request for comment.
Desert Hearts Assisted Living
4131 E. Fifth St.
The operator was fined $1,000 on April 12 for failure to document that a caregiver had proper training. Management did not respond to a request for comment.
Foothills Vista Adult Care Home
7357 N. Paseo Ronceval
Facility was fined $1,000 on Jan. 5 – its third fine in two years — for failure to ensure an employee had no criminal history and failure to ensure a caregiver had proper training. Those are the same faults identified in May 2019 when the state imposed another $1,00 fine. The third fine, for $500, was levied in January 2019 when the operator neglected to apply for relicensing by the state’s deadline.
Management did not respond by deadline to a request for comment.
Heavenly Acres Assisted Living Facility
5420 W. Ajo Way
The facility was fined $3,420 in February for operating without a qualified manager and fined $500 in February 2019 for failure to apply for relicensing by the state deadline. In April, Arizona’s health department filed a notice of intent to revoke the facility’s operating license. The owners did not object to the revocation and the facility closed June 1, state records said.
However, one of the home's owners, Adrian Romero, told the Arizona Daily Star on July 23 that the facility is "still open" and referred questions to co-owner Michelle Romero, who did not respond to a request for comment.
Lemon Tree Care Home
4110 E. Spring St., Unit 2
A $1,000 fine was levied Jan. 5 for failure to ensure an employee had no criminal background, for failure to document when a resident received medication and for failing to ensure toxic materials were not accessible to residents.
State records say the facility is now closed. Management could not be reached because the facility's phone number was out of service.
Pacifica Senior Living
2675 N. Wyatt Drive
A $1,000 fine was levied Feb. 1 for failure to ensure staffers had “the skills and knowledge necessary to ensure the health and safety of a resident,” and for failure to keep the premises free of hazards that could cause injury.
Executive Director Dale Howard said the facility has operated for decades and has never been fined before.
The problems were rectified and a June inspection found no deficiencies, she said.
Rose Bush Senior Care
2261 S. Quail Hollow Drive
Facility was fined $1,500 – the second fine in six months – for failure to ensure an employee did not have a criminal background; failure to document care in a resident’s medical records; failure to ensure compliance with medication orders for two residents and failure to ensure toxic materials were not accessible to residents. A $500 penalty was assessed in October 2020 for failure to ensure two residents had written service plans in place.
Owner Ladywinnie Oulanyah said the facility filed a plan of correction with authorities and the plan was accepted by the state health department.
Senior Care Assisted Living
5901 E. Juarez St.
Facility was fined $5,340 on March 5 for operating without a qualified manager and for failing to notify the state that the previous manager quit nearly a year ago.
The operator declined to comment.
