GREENSBORO, N.C. - Workers with Halikierra Home Health Services confirm they are closing and transitioning to a new company. They tell WFMY News 2 that the Greensboro office will be open temporarily, but will ultimately shut down.
Workers say all patients will be moved to other home health care services. And they "still have a lot to figure out."
Several employees of the Reidsville location have also told WFMY News 2 that they might be closing, but we're still working to get that confirmed by the corporation.
Earlier this week, the state's Department of Health and Human Services' Health Service Regulation Division issued an order to home care agency to cease and desist operation immediately.
We have also heard from some employees that they have not gotten paid on time.
Here's a breakdown on some of the deficiencies found by the state:
- Only two licensed sites (page 1)
- Review revealed the Raleigh, Charlotte, Henderson, Statesville and Reidsville locations are unlicensed sites (page 2)
- Failed to report an allegation of theft in a timely manner (page 3, 4)
- No policy governing reporting to Health Care Personnel Registry (page 4)
- Failed to provide services within the scope of services as defined by the home care license and agency policy (page 6)
- People who are not certified to give medication to clients – have been documented doing so (page 7)
- Agency operating outside of scope of services (page 7)
- Based on the agency policy and procedure review, client record review, and staff interview, the agency failed to provide care such as bathing, dressing, toileting, and eating according to the plan of care for 4 of 7 clients that did not receive services even though documentation showed care was provided (page 8)
- Falsified timesheets (page 9, 10)
- Aides not coming when they were supposed to – client found new agency (page 15)
- Missing timesheets (page 15)
- No verification of references for employees & no job descriptions (page 17)
- Personnel files incomplete (page 18)
We spoke with Tiffany Waters, a Certified Nurse Assistant who worked for the agency. She's been a CNA for almost 20 years, and worked out of the Reidsville location.
"Today, as much as people wanted their paycheck, everybody's fear was their client. These people need us. Most of us worked today, even if it was just for 30 minutes check on them and make them food and get them what they needed. Most of us worked today knowing that we are not paid," Water said, "[At today's meeting] we never saw the owners. What they did do is bring in another agency in, where we could transfer our clients and transfer our employment, and that was going to be okay. But a lot of us felt like why do we want a company that just did this to us suggesting another company for us to go to?"
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