“He’s still human”

The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported the tragic case of a wheelchair-bound vulnerable adult was locked outside of the Dubuque Specialty Care nursing home all night. The incident began when the resident became upset with the new policy that prevented residents from smoking anywhere outside the building.

The man reportedly told the staff, “I’m getting the hell out of here.” A nurse asked the resident to sign papers to acknowledge that he was leaving the facility against medical advice, and warned him that once he left the building, he wouldn’t be let back in as he was no longer under the responsibility of Dubuque Specialty Care.

One nurse said, “We did not ask him to come back inside because the administrator had told us we could not,” and “The administrator told me if he went out, he was not allowed back.” Morton allegedly told inspectors during an interview “Technically, he discharged (himself) from the facility, so we were not responsible for him.”

A staff member let the resident out of the building, and he waited at the end of the driveway for a ride from a friend. Later the DON drove by and said
“You better not put one foot on my property.”  He eventually crossed the street and stayed there until 4am before calling a taxi service. While the man remained outside for 11 hours, Dubuque Specialty Care failed to provide the resident with food, transfer assistance, and any treatments or medication.

At around 10pm a nurse asked a certified nurse aide to go check on the resident and bring him a sweatshirt as it was getting cold. She told the aide, “He’s still human”. They knew he needed insulin but failed to provide any which ended up placing him in immediate jeopardy. He finally collapsed and soiled himself, and a taxi driver called an ambulance. The resident was then taken to the nearest hospital.

In January of 2023, Scott Morton was charged by the Iowa Board of Nursing Home Administrators for professional incompetence, negligence in the practice of the profession, and violation of unspecified regulations, rules, or laws related to the practice of nursing home administrators.

During a settlement agreement with Morton on May 7th, the agreement was for Morton to be given a “warning and to complete six hours of training on residents’ rights or effective communication with staff. No other sanctions were imposed.”

The board attributed “confusion” for the residents’ predicament. The board acknowledged the fact that Morton was not present when the resident exited the building, as he had already left for the day. He was contacted by a staff member about the resident leaving the building. The board had stated that Morton was
unaware until the next day that the resident was left outside overnight, was denied re-entry and wasn’t provided with food or medication.