Hearings on nursing home’s license set for January

An administrative law judge will hold a multi-day hearing in January about a state move to revoke the license of a Hollywood nursing home where residents died after Hurricane Irma.

Judge Mary Li Creasy is scheduled to hear arguments Jan. 2 to Jan. 5 in Fort Lauderdale and Jan. 8 to Jan. 12 in Tallahassee, according to a notice posted Friday on the Florida Division of Administrative Hearings website.

The state Agency for Health Care Administration on Oct. 3 filed an administrative complaint to revoke the license of The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills, which lost its air-conditioning system Sept. 10 as Hurricane Irma hit the state.

Eight residents of the sweltering nursing home died Sept. 13, and six more died later after evacuation.

One resident’s death on Oct. 8 was found not be linked to the facility’s sweltering conditions, the Broward Medical Examiner said last week.

In part, the state complaint alleged that the nursing home “failed to recognize the potential health risk of the rising internal facility temperatures and humidity, affecting elderly residents.”

The nursing home on Oct. 6 challenged the license revocation, saying it denied “any negligent or intentional misconduct related to the allegations stated in the administrative complaint and, in fact, took reasonable and appropriate steps to care for the residents during the absence of power after Hurricane Irma.” vulnerable