Director of Annandale Healthcare Center replaced
Ezedube Eze is no longer the director of the Annandale Healthcare Center, the nursing home on Columbia Pike under fire for its poor response to protecting patients and staff from COVID-19. Eze’s last day was Friday, Aug. 28.
Alexandra Rehkemper, who had been the assistant director since February 2019, is the new director.
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| Rehkemper |
According to Beth DeFalco, a spokesperson for CommuniCare, the Ohio-based company that owns the Annandale Healthcare Center, the leadership change has nothing to do with the problems at the facility.
The Annandale Healthcare Center has had the biggest COVID-19 outbreak among Virginia nursing homes, with at least 55 deaths and 156 cases.
Two reports by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to the Virginia Department of Health cite numerous deficiencies: inadequate COVID screening of staff entering the building, failure of staff to practice social distancing, failure of housekeeping staff to follow correct hygiene practices, failure to screen vendors entering the building, and improper use of PPE, among many other violations.
Related story: Problem-plagued Annandale Healthcare Center accepts new patients, prepares for Phase 2
Another CommuniCare property, Kensington Healthcare Center, was fined $294,000 by the state of Maryland, the Washington Post reported last week. Inspectors found that facility, in Montgomery County, failed to separate patients who tested positive for COVID-19 from patients who tested negative.
Neither the Virginia Department of Health nor the CMS has taken any action against the Annandale Healthcare Center. After the most recent survey in July, the center has been given time to implement another series of corrections.
Meanwhile, a patient at the facility says nursing staff are still not wearing face masks regularly when they go from patients’ rooms in the COVID wing to the non-COVID wing.
She also cites numerous other problems at the facility, including bad air quality, inedible food, the lack of outdoor time and physical activities, mold in the bathroom, and medication mix-ups.
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| A typical breakfast banana at the Annandale Healthcare Center. |
Claire Yeomans, of the Northern Virginia Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, says her office has received six complaints about the Annandale Healthcare Center in the last three months.
Patients complained about being stuck in bed all day, unable to access showers, and unable to get staff to respond in a timely manner. Family members complained about being unable to get medical records.
Related story: The Annandale Healthcare Center during COVID lockdown: ‘worse than prison’
The ombudsman has to maintain confidentiality, Yeomans says, so she can’t reveal whether those issues were resolved.
“The ombudsman hears complaints and works to resolve them, but we can’t force the facility to do anything,” she says. “Under COVID, we’re living in a different reality,” so facilities have to be a little more restrictive to protect the health and safety of residents.
They all need to be replaced if you ask my opinion. The assistant Director was in the facility while all this was going on and should have been aware of what was going on. They need to start with new management in my opinion.
This is great news. I believe they all need replaced. The entire managemnt staff the Assistant Director and the Nursing director all need to go
I agree with the commenters saying the entire management staff needs to go. Is anything really going to change simply by promoting one person? I doubt it.
Teresa Grant (director of nursing) they should have replaced her, I'm a nurse at Annandale health care, Teresa Grant (DON) would get very upset with some of us nurses for documenting on patients running high temperatures she'll have us changed our documentation, most of us didn't like it but we had no choice because we need our job, when we'll go to to her for PPE she will yelled at the staffs including myself, if the owner of this company really listening about what's going on in Annandale they'll replace Teresa Grant (DON), she's the cause of the virus getting out of control in the facility the way it did. I been a nurse for years and I've worked with many directors of nursing and Teresa Grant is WORST (DON) I have ever come across.
I am just now seeing all of this.
My mom was there in West 2 and died May 2nd. I went to go see her every other Sunday for an hour or so. I just want closure and learn more about what happened after I was kicked out as a visitor with the restrictions. I had my guesses what happened, but thought it was just my imagination…after seeig this, I am not sure. If you have any insight I would love to talk about it. You can easily find my contact info.
All I was really told was…
1. The virus was now in the bldg with 3 residents and 1 staff
2. My Mom now has virus
3. Attempts for updates failed except for calling her myself to gauge how she is
4. Finally called and told "Your Mom is not doing well" as she finally gets to INOVA fairfax.
5. She then dies on her 75th birthday.
I just want to fill in some of the blanks so I can live more at ease.
I am in tears reading about your mother. I am a nurse and was about to apply to work at this facility but I am broken by all these comments.
I pray you find closure.
Your mom is in a better place now.🙏🙏🙏🙏
The entire management needs to be replaced!
Replaced the administrator and not replacing the director of nursing? NOTHING is going to change. Annandale health care need new managements.
I agreed the entire management need to be replaced!
I used to work at Annandale health care, I left because I was afraid of losing my nursing licence working under Teresa Grant(DON), the lies, the covered up, the intimidation, the threats, if you are not willing to go with her cover up. She's very heartless and have no compassion for patients or staffs.
Can you talk about this further?
Who is sentencing their loved ones to live here? I'd sooner take my parents in and take care of them myself than send them to this hell hole.
WOW…I am not surprised. If they don't get rid of Teresa Grant(DON) her actions will cost the company big with her covered ups and lies, I've worked with Teresa Grant before and the facility walked her out. My heart goes out to the patients and staffs.
This place would be so much better if they get that Director Of Nursing Teresa Grant out of there with her dangerous crew that back her dirt up with lies.
Eze Ezedube trained Alexandra Rehkemper and she is aware and is part of all the cover up that is going on there. Alexandra should not let that DON to cause her to lose her job because that is what happened to Eze. These are two ED's with no nursing home experience as an Administrator they are listening to the DON and she is a liar if she had to take a liar detector that thing would catch on fire from all her lies.
Yes I agree they should get rid of Teresa Grant (DON) her,Eze Ezedube and Alexandria Rehkemper, and there was a nurse Nadia Kamara they all should be fired. They covered up the death of a resident who was deprived of oxygen, if they would been doing rounds this wouldn't have died and there also residents there who are scared to say any about this because they are scared of retaliation. When residents there mention anything about their roommates that are suffering they are being told to mind their own business. This article says that the change in management has nothing to do with the facility but that's a lie,im sure Eze was forced to quit. I dont know how Teresa Grant or Alexandria Rehkemper can sleep at night, know that they were a part of all the cover ups and deaths at the facility. ESPECIALLY TERESA GRANT! And with everything going on it seems like Corporate knew about it to. There should have been a change in management when they were on news because of the rape case but that was another issue sweep under the rug.I would never put my family in any COMMUNICARE facility EVER. Im sure if they investigate this place they would probably find out that alot more From
HR on down . They need to SHUT THIS PlACE DOWN PERIOD!
please contact the Annandale Blog privately, [email protected]
Nadia Kamara that's Teresa Grant friend, Teresa bring her and many others to Annandale health care. It was upsetting to hear the patient was asking for oxygen and Nadia Kamara(nurse) was nowhere to be found for hours, the receptionist and another resident even went to look for Nadia, til today that resident feels guilty for not calling 911 to get him help. Again Teresa Grant do what she does best COVERED UP. All we can do is PRAY for a change. The residents deserves a director that have compassion and empathy.
i am very saddened to hear this change in management all of them should have been fired!THE CKMMENT ABOVE IS TRUE THERE IS A COVER UP HAPPENING THERE AND
IF THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT DIGS DEEPER INTO THE RECORDS THEY WILL SEE. Alexandra,Eze and Theresa should have been fired immediately!I want the Annandale Blog to reach out and ask me what is really going. My mother in law was one of their victim's in the cover up during the Pandemic.Alexandra and Marcus another employee actually called the police on my family when when my mother in law was dying from covid 19 showing no compassion for us. My sister in law was an employee at another poorly run facility Mt Vernon also under Communicare they put a gag order on her after the passing of our mother they fired her because they know she can bury them but thats another story that needs to told at a later date! My sister worked hard and loved her job until they showed her no loyalty especially since our mother was under the care if Annandale. You would thimk that they would have took better care of our mother just because of my sister. Annandale management is there for money first and the residents last. I AM SPEAKING OUT BECAUSE ALL MANAGERS NEED FIRED! Alexandra,Eze and Theresa should never be able to work in Healthcare again their licenses need to be taken away from them from working in Healthcare at anothrr facility to kl people's loved ones. Corporate needs to clean up this facility before more people die. Everything I said can be proven I experienced their incompetence first hand!
Please contact the Annandale bog privately at [email protected]
EVERYBODY WHO RESPONDED PLEASE CONTACT
I have my brother in Annandale health care, I can honestly say there's some great caring, loving, compassion staff on his unit and I thank God for them. In another hand management is a different story it's true they don't care, my brother went weeks without a working phone or television, I had to complaint so many times before It was finally fixed. My brother been there for years when the name was Sleepy Hollow and this is the worst management, Teresa Grant she's so RUDE she's not a people person. Annandale health care will not get better if they don't change the ENTIRE MANAGEMENT.
I hope Alexandra Rehkemper, don't make the same mistakes Eze Ezedube made by trusting Teresa Grant, the virud got out of control at Annandale health care because of Teresa Grant.
I agree the virus did get out of control due to Teresa Grant covered up, uncaring, lack of compassion and she still there, I hope corporate is listening!
Was he ousted or is he running?
The Jig is up but only on one person thats why he is running. They still haven't caught on to Teresa Grant on Alexandra Rehkemper. If they don't get rid of the two of them then I know they must be holding something over Communicares head. Ill continue comment on all blogs and reach out Corporate next and also contacts Annadale blogs directly. Im waiting to see the next article say that they have replaced the New Executive Director and the DON. If something doesn't get resolved then my next FOX News.
Go for it also WRC news I will keep fighting also
They are cleaning up the building to make a fake video on Friday done by Communicare about how great their building is did all this painting buying lamps doesn't take away how we are being treated here.
Did they come and do the video? They had us locked in our room all day. T Grant is not a people person, when I told her I was being given a pill that was not mine for the last 5 times, it was like I was at fault, I told her some one screwed up the record and aso my allergy bill bottle all of a sudden came up missing like my antibiotics back in March. This place is screwed up
Are you there now?
Yeah. What happened in there…they did so well for the 1st month….then…BOOM
Doesn’t matter if Ezu Ezedube is not there. It still does not change the reality I had to endure while my sister entered that place from Alexandria Hospital in March 2020, she was walking and talking when she went in there May 28 she was dead. They tried to say it was Covid however she definitely didn’t have it when she went in there. I have videos from FaceTime calls showing her heavily sedated. To this day i can’t get these painful memories out of my head. They actually murdered my sister with drugs. I called Ezu everyday for 2 weeks and the DON to have her taken to Alexandria Hospital but I never received a call back from either one. He may no longer be there, but what about the people who was murdered under his leadership, like my sister. Him leaving will not take away the pain I live with daily knowing how my sister was murdered. They claim she had a little bit of Covid yet she wasn’t being treated for it..I would like to file a lawsuit against them. If anyone can direct me on where to start, please let me know. I have been so overwhelmed by their incompetence and would like for this place to be held accountable not only for my sister’s death, be the needless death of so many others.
Whatever happened the nurses there need to speak out completely and not just on here but let the 55 families know what happened. Really let them know.
Really.
Let.
Them.
Know.
Matter of fact…if you all need help…like legitimately have no clue how to wear the PPE properly and really go room to room to room wearing the exact same gown
…YOU ARE DOING IT WRONG…don't toss it into the stairway…DO NOT for from positive rooms to negative rooms with it on ….never mind. Too late.
Everyone is remembering the tragedy from 9/11/01…but hey…you get to be the tragedy of 2020…yeah it may be everywhere…but Annandale takes the cake for the way it handled everything.
New York City
Washington, DC
Shanksville, PA
Annnadale, VA
Don't forget Maryland and Ohio! On your list!
Truth be told, they have a new case of Covis-19 in the building on West One that they moved to Emerald Court and no one has contacted us or family members about it as of yet. I wonder if the Health Department is aware all this hiding info here that these folks are doing.
Please speak out. What else are we missing. Let it all out.
Help is coming.
Soon.