The state Department of Health (DOH) has issued a statement of charges to suspend the license of Caregivers 4 Mom & Dad, an in-home services agency based in Winlock, pending further legal action.
The state conducted a health and safety investigation of Caregivers 4 Mom & Dad and found issues “related to patient medications, fall prevention and general patient care concerns,” according to a DOH news release.
Investigators conducted an on-site health and safety investigation of Caregivers 4 Mom & Dad on April 19, 2023, and conducted off-site investigations on April 11, April 24, April 28, May 2 and May 4 of that same year.
On May 12, 2023, investigators issued a statement of deficiencies to Caregivers 4 Mom & Dad, finding that the agency:
• Failed to implement medication self-administration with assistant policies and procedures, and failed to describe personnel roles regarding medication self-administration with assistance
• Failed to coordinate with other agencies involved in a client’s care
• Failed to implement nurse delegation policies, resulting in clients receiving services from unqualified caregivers
• Violated clients’ rights to be cared for by appropriately trained or credentialed personnel
• Failed to include the client or client’s representative in the ongoing development of a plan of care
• Failed to appropriately update and maintain clients’ plans of care
• Failed to document services provided during each client contact
Caregivers 4 Mom & Dad reportedly submitted a plan of correction (POC) on May 27, 2023, but it was found to be “not acceptable or incomplete,” and was sent back on June 2 for revisions. A request for further revisions was made on June 23.
Caregivers 4 Mom & Dad reportedly sent an email on Oct. 11, 2023, asking what amendments were still needed, and the DOH sent a response on Oct. 13 with an outlined list of needed revisions.
“The respondent still did not send a corrected POC,” the DOH alleges in the statement of charges, which were filed on April 30, 2024.
“Caregivers was given two opportunities to respond to the allegations when the initiating documents were served but failed to timely respond on both occasions,” the DOH said in a news release.
After failing to request a hearing within the allotted time frame, Caregivers reportedly submitted a late response to request a hearing, and failed to show at the hearing scheduled for Aug. 19, 2024, according to the DOH.
“Caregivers has another hearing scheduled for the end of September. Caregivers maintains an active facility license pending the outcome of the hearing,” the DOH said in a news release.
The DOH’s Unlicensed Practice Program has also notified Caregivers administrator Betty Jo Kitchen of its intent to issue a cease-and-desist order due to her lack of a registered nurse’s license.
Kitchen was notified of that letter in April 2024, according to previous Chronicle reporting.
The state has confirmed Kitchen, who “has never held a registered nurse license in Washington state,” was operating “an in-home services agency where she conducted health care for patients and described herself as a home care nurse,” according to previous Chronicle reporting.
Kitchen’s Facebook and LinkedIn profiles still showed her as an administrator for Caregivers 4 Mom & Dad as of Thursday, Sept. 12.
Caregivers 4 Mom & Dad first received its license to operate as an in-home services agency on Sept. 5, 2018, according to the DOH.
The legal documents for this case can be found online via the Facilities Inspections and Investigations Search on the DOH website. Copies can be requested by calling 360-236-4700.
The DOH encourages anyone who believes a health care facility acted unprofessionally to call 360-236-2620 to report their complaint. Complaints can also be submitted via email to HSQAcomplaintintake@doh.wa.gov.
The DOH “protects and promotes public health, safety and welfare in Washington by regulating the competency and quality of health care providers and facilities,” the DOH said in a news release. “The agency establishes, monitors, and enforces qualifications for licensing, consistent standards of practice, continuing competency mechanisms, and discipline. Rules, policies, and procedures promote the delivery of quality health care to people in Washington.”
