A nursing home in Ardmore, Tenn., is once again admitting residents after correcting the worst of 39 violations found by the state health department, an official said.

The Tennessee Health Department halted admissions at Sunbridge Care and Rehabilitation May 1 after an inspector found 39 violations, eight of which were considered detrimental or likely to be detrimental to a patient’s health, safety or welfare.

The facility was fined $6,800 per day by the federal government, retroactive to April 3, and fined $3,000 total by the state, said Andrea Turner, public information officer for the Tennessee Department of Health.

“The immediate jeopardies – the more serious deficiencies – have been abated,” Turner said Thursday. “They submitted a plan to address the deficiencies that had to be approved, and an inspector went back in to make sure the plan is in place.”

Health officials had appointed a monitor to stay at the facility until the issues were resolved.

Diana Fisher, administrator at Sunbridge, said the nursing home resumed admissions May 7.

“Our center immediately implemented a plan of correction to address all recommendations placed upon us by the state’s recent visit to our center,” Fisher said. “As a result, state officials completed a return evaluation on May 7 and lifted the infractions to include returning our center to its normal admission process. As administrator, I want to thank the families for their overwhelming support throughout this survey process and to assure the Ardmore community that we maintain our commitment to serving our residents and providing quality care. I am available to all families if they should have any questions or concerns.”

Another, unannounced inspection will follow to confirm whether lower level deficiencies have been addressed, Turner said.

The health department’s 17-day inspection in April was prompted by a complaint.

Inspectors found violations of resident protection, administration, quality assurance, physician services, performance improvement, nursing services, pharmacy services, and medication administration standards, according to a press release on the Tennessee Department of Health Web site at http://health.state.tn.us/Newsreleases/050208.htm

In one instance, a licensed practical nurse drew insulin into a syringe to give to a patient. The LPN reportedly thought the syringe contained 10 units, the amount the doctor ordered. However, another nursing home employee told the LPN the syringe contained 12 units.

“The LPN did not correct the dosage and was prepared to administer it after having confirmed it was an incorrect dose,” Turner said.

The inspector also found other violations, including failing to keep environments free of accident hazards and failing to provide adequate supervision to prevent accidents; nursing aides with inadequate proficiency; and providing residents unnecessary drugs, meaning giving an excessive dosage, giving a drug for an excessive duration or giving a drug without adequate monitoring or without adequate indications for use, Turner said.

In one incident, a patient received medication and told employees she felt dizzy.

“There was no documentation of interventions initiated and there was a recommendation to increase the dosage,” Turner said.