Amherst senior living center cited with nearly a dozen health code violations

The Lorain County Public Health Department is keeping a close watch on the Amherst Manor as it has been cited with 10 health code violations this week.

Amherst Manor was cited with eight critical and two non-critical health code violations on July 8 and 9. The Lorain County Public Health Department first received complaints on July 6.

Susan Lukachko told me that although she was not surprised there were violations found, she said her husband had nothing short of a good experience while staying at Amherst Manor for a few weeks.

“Everybody was pleasant, professional, encouraging, kind, empathetic, all the good stuff,” said Lukacho. “He almost didn't want to come home because they were always kind to him and he actually enjoyed the food quite a bit.”

Lukachko said the only reason she’s not shocked over the health code violations is that she has seen it happen before to numerous other businesses.

Amber Sanchez said she was a patient at Amherst Manor for 12 days in March of this year. She also claimed to have a good experience.

"The floor staff was amazing to me. I am only 45 years old, so it was hard for me, but they made me feel welcome and cared about," said Sanchez. "The therapists were good to me and the administration people I dealt with were, as well. I can't speak for dealing with corporate or current administration, though I've been told there have been changes for the negative since I left. As to the nurses though, they were amazing."

The allegations submitted to the health department range from employees using sanitizer bottles to spray serving trays and bowls to the Amherst Manor not having the proper equipment to clean dishes and utensils.

Those violations include:

• Critical- Person in charge unable to demonstrate knowledge by having no critical violations.
• Critical- Person in charge not ensuring employees are properly sanitizing equipment and utensils and monitoring of sanitizer parameters.
• Critical- Person in charge unable to demonstrate knowledge of cleaning and sanitizing.
• (x2) Critical- Equipment food-contact surfaces or utensils are unclean
• Critical- Person in charge unable to demonstrate knowledge of storage and use of toxic materials.
• Critical- Person in charge unable to demonstrate knowledge of cleaning and sanitizing.
• Critical- Quaternary ammonium sanitizing solution at incorrect temperature, concentration, and/or water hardness.
• Non-critical- Food Service Operation did not submit facility layout and equipment specifications.
• Non-critical- Three-compartment sink not available for manually washing, rinsing, and sanitizing of utensils.

“The criticals are obviously the more important ones,” stated Lorain County Public Health Department Director of Environmental Health Greg Putka.
Putka said the facility developed a plan of action, but during the health department’s July 9 ^th visit, “We did observe things that they weren't following that plan they gave to us.”

No fines or penalties at this time, according to Putka.

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“[The Amherst Manor is] lucky they only caught them with those little ones. It should have been a lot more,” said Ramonita Cabral. “I was really a victim there. I was traumatized. I was miserable there. And it was something… I'll never go back. Never.”

Cabral said she was a patient at the Amherst Manor for several months earlier this year. She said her stay should have only been a few weeks, though.

She complained of a lack of care, causing further infection in her left foot, employees who were disrespectful, and negligent behavior when it came to employees maintaining her well-being and living space.

“They don't care what they do,” added Cabral. "It was a nightmare."

A former employee of Amherst Manor, Josh Lewis, said that the food served at the facility is "horribly portioned and never cooked thoroughly. My floor there was horribly understaffed. I was alone with 26 residents. [There were] so many cases of UTIs since they weren't getting proper care resulting from pressure wounds. Beds were always broken. Hoyer lifts were never fixed. They have been known to cut up sheets to use them to clean up patients after bowel movements due to no supplies since they cut funds so much. No help ever."

Amherst Manor will not only have random health inspections conducted by the Lorain County Public Health Department but every five to six months, Putka said.

The plan of action states Amherst Manor must use single-service utensils and dishware for the time being, as well as take cooking utensils to a nearby facility for sanitation.

“[Amherst Manor] gave us a timeline of roughly at the end of the month that it should be completed. The dish machine and the three-compartment sink should be in the facility. We are going to follow up with them again, hopefully at the end of the month to make sure that they have that all taken care of and it's all operational and in place,” stated Putka.

According to records, the Lorain County Public Health Department inspected the Amherst Manor again on Thursday and there were zero violations found.

In a statement from the facility’s owner, Sprenger Healthcare, it says, “The Amherst Manor kitchen is undergoing a scheduled repair. The local health department was out and identified some issues with the process. Our staff was able to receive further education and our food service operations continue to run smoothly.”

Sprenger Healthcare added the Ohio Department of Health visited Thursday and did not observe any dining-related issues.

“No residents were affected by any issues brought forth by the local health department and as always, it is Amherst Manor’s priority to provide excellent resident care,” stated Sprenger Healthcare Thursday afternoon.

While Cabral isn’t quick to give the Amherst Manor grace for the health code violations, Lukachko said, “We're all humans and people make mistakes.”

If you suspect a health code violation in Lorain County, click here to file a complaint.

Putka also encourages anyone who has questions relating to health codes or simply wants to be more educated on the subject to contact the Lorain County Public Health Department.

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