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State closes assisted living facility

A surprise fire drill uncovers numerous health and safety violations at Long Shadow Inn in Palm Harbor.

By NICOLE JOHNSON
Published February 10, 2006

PALM HARBOR - State officials closed an assisted living facility here Thursday due to numerous health and safety violations, according to the state Attorney General's Office.

Long Shadow Inn, 2275 Nebraska Ave., was closed by Attorney General Charlie Crist's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit as part of its Operation Spot Check Program. Through the program, authorities conduct unannounced checks to determine whether nursing homes and adult living facilities are in compliance.

The surprise drill began at Long Shadow Inn about 9:30 a.m., said Mark Snow, deputy chief for Palm Harbor Fire and Rescue.

About 15 people from the fraud unit, local law enforcement and various state agencies entered the facility and notified the staff that a fire drill was about to take place, said Snow, who was part of the investigation.

The facility staff could not produce a disaster plan that showed how they would evacuate the 33 residents, Snow said.

During the evacuation, four residents were never removed from the premises and several others remained trapped on the second floor, according to reports.

Instead of employing the standard practice of taking residents out the rear of the facility, the staff exited through the front of the building, where firetrucks would normally be staged, Snow said.

"They didn't seem prepared for what to do in a case of evacuation," Snow said.

"That was our concern. That was the deciding factor to taking the residents out. It didn't seem like they were able to care for the people in the event of an emergency."

The facility's administrators were notified by the Agency for Health Care Administration less than five weeks ago that it was out of compliance for poor conditions, according to reports.

The investigation was initiated after the Department of Children and Families and the Patient Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation Project received complaints.

Other safety violations found during the surprise inspection included employees with open wounds on their hands preparing food, a sewage problem and lack of soap for residents, according to reports.

The team also found unlicensed staffers dispensing medication.

Zlata Campara, the facility's owner, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Long Shadow Inn opened its doors in 1993. It was then owned by Gary and Betty Schmitz, a Seminole couple.

Campara, 39, purchased the facility for $2-million in December 2001, according to the Pinellas County property appraiser.

The Attorney General's Office began conducting Operation Spot Check inspections in the Tampa Bay area in 2003.

The program brings together state and local agencies responsible for overseeing and inspecting services provided to the elderly.

The 33 elderly residents who lived at Long Shadow Inn are being relocated by the Department of Children and Families.

Nicole Johnson can be reached at njohnson@sptimes.com or 727 445-4162.

[Last modified February 10, 2006, 01:11:18]