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State-run Woodward facility fined for resident injuries

State-run Woodward facility fined for resident injuries

Yahoo06-06-2025
The Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing handles inspections of the state-run Woodward Resource Center. (Photo illustration via Getty Images; logo courtesy of the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing)
The state-run Woodward Resource Center for adults with disabilities has been cited for two incidents that resulted in residents being treated at a hospital for injuries.
According to state records, the facility has been fined $2,750 due to the staff being unable to demonstrate the skills and techniques necessary to manage residents' behavior, and failing to provide residents with nursing services required to meet their needs.
In one incident, a resident who had complained of acute abdominal pain in March was sent to the emergency room of a hospital where it was discovered he had swallowed a plastic spoon. An endoscopy was then performed to remove the spoon.
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State inspectors allege Woodward officials investigated the matter and reviewed video footage that showed the resident, who was to receive one-on-one monitoring from the staff, sitting at the dining room table and putting a spoon in his mouth and down his throat. The footage allegedly showed the worker assigned to watch him left the area at least once.
Inspectors reported, without elaborating, that the video footage was 'unavailable' for them to review.
The resident suffered from pica – the practice of eating inedible objects – and had previously swallowed batteries, coins and rocks. A Ziploc bag containing plastic straws and spoons was found in his bedroom after the incident involving the spoon.
In the second incident, a resident of the home was transported to the hospital the evening of March 17, 2025, a day and a half after the staff had noticed one knee was bruised, swollen and unable to bear weight.
The home's administrator of nursing later confirmed the staff should have notified Woodward's physician on the morning of March 16, 2025, when they first became aware of the injury.
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