"Our top priority is the care and well-being of our residents," Care Initiatives, which owns Correctionville Specialty Care, said in a statement.
WOODBURY COUNTY, Iowa — The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and Woodbury County Sheriff's Office are investigating a former care center resident's allegations of sexual assault by a staffer. The facility under investigation is Correctionville Specialty Care in Woodbury County, the owner of the facility is the company Care Initiatives.
In a state investigative report, the resident reported that during her time of residency in the nursing home, a male nurse aid forced her to perform sexual acts on him. On Oct. 14, 2023, law enforcement interviewed the resident. During the interview, the resident detailed her alleged timeline of events, though she said she did not know the specific date the incident allegedly took place.
The resident said on the night of the incident, it was raining and she went outside of the facility to have a cigarette. Due to her medical conditions, the resident was in a wheelchair and needed assistance outside. The resident claims she sent a male staffer $10 on Cash App for cigarettes. She said he assisted in the cell phone payment transaction and then asked if she'd like to smoke her cigarette with him in his car. The resident said she agreed to go and the Certified Med Aid (CNA) wheeled her to his car. Once in the car, the resident said the CNA pulled out a bottle of Crown Royal whiskey and started to drink and listen to loud music. Then, the resident states the CNA forced her to perform a sexual act on him while allegedly videotaping the assault.
Following her report of this incident to staffers, the nursing home's administrator was made aware of the payments made between the staffer and resident for cigarettes. According to the state documents, the administrator said after a couple of the members on staff told her about the transactions. She then called the staffer allegedly involved into her office. During the conversation, the staffer showed her an online receipt for the financial transaction, and she suspended him from the building. The staffer denied any sexual advances took place in exchange for cigarettes.
Within the state documents, the staffer claimed that the company begged him to work other shifts prior to them confronting him with the sexual assault claims. The employee's time sheets show he continued to work at their nursing homes on three other occasions.
On Oct. 5, another staffer reported that days after the alleged incident, the care facility's administrator had a loud verbal exchange with the resident giving her only 30 minutes to pack her room and leave for a local shelter. A car was arranged to take the resident there but did not have enough room to fit all of the resident's belongings. A housekeeper staffer stated she packed some of the resident's items into her vehicle. The driver reportedly took the resident to a local women's shelter which later denied the resident. The driver then called the administrator who told him to take her to a local homeless shelter, but that shelter did not accept all of the residents belonging and they were not given the appropriate information to take on a resident with these needs.
The resident was picked up from the homeless shelter by a friend.
Both the Woodbury County Sheriff's Office and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services say this is an open investigation.
The November report states the Correctionville Specialty Care Nursing home "is not in compliance" with federal guidelines for long-term care facilities.
Local 5 also reached out to Care Initiative's cooperate office about the allegations. They provided the following statement:
"We have investigated allegations of inappropriate behavior between a team member and a prior resident. We take these matters very seriously. We have and continue to cooperate with the Department of Inspections, Appeals & Licensing and area law enforcement in their investigations. Additionally, we launched an extensive internal investigation into this matter and have taken immediate action to ensure the safety of our residents. Involved parties are no longer employed by Care Initiatives. Our top priority is the care and well-being of our residents, and we do not tolerate any behavior that compromises their trust and confidence."
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Nursing home under investigation after resident allegedly sexually assaulted by a staffer
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