After A/C goes out, KC nursing home has to work with state to reopen
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After the air conditioning failed at a Kansas City nursing home Tuesday, emergency crews wrangled a regional response to bring residents to temporary living arrangements.
But just how temporary that will be remains to be seen as Parkview Healthcare Nursing Home will need to work with the state to reopen.
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The incident comes after a series of citations and fines for the nursing home. A state inspection from April showed Parkview failed to have an “Emergency Preparedness Plan,” an issue cited repeatedly over the past three years.
On Wednesday, a temporary HVAC system fed air through large tubes connected to the windows at Parkview.
“I can’t recall a specific incident where we’ve had like a nursing home or a hospital lose their air conditioning, and we were a part of a major transport like that,” Kansas City Fire Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins said.
It took a regional effort to transport 117 people to nine other facilities; seven residents with COVID-19 were taken to hospitals, Hopkins said.
But the timeline to move back in is still unclear.
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While the facility is in the jurisdiction of the Kansas City Health Department, to reopen Parkview will require to work with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
According to a statement from the agency, “The DHSS Section for Long Term Care Regulation is working closely with facility administration to ensure the health and safety of the residents and their living environment.”
“We cannot yet comment on the current regulatory survey underway, but our primary concern is ensuring the health and safety of any residents returning to Parkview in the future,” according to that statement.
Although Parkview corrected their most recent violations by June 1, the federal government has fined it nearly $158,000 over the past three years for issues, including their lack of an emergency preparedness plan.
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As for a timeline, emergency crews said they’re on standby.
“At this point we have not been contacted about moving the patients back. One, they still have to get the HVAC system fixed at that facility,” Hopkins said.
“And then the Department of Health and Senior Services will have to do some investigations and inspections to make sure the facility is up and ready to handle them coming back.”
No heat-related injuries were reported among residents or staff Tuesday. Emergency responders used ambulances and buses as cooling center for those people during their response.
FOX4 reached out to Parkview Healthcare Nursing Facility but did not receive comment on the situation.
