VA/DOH reviews slam Yukio Okutsu as Mayor asks Ige to remove Avalon

The Hawaii COVID-19 Joint Information Center says there are now two reports detailing in-depth assessments of conditions and protocols at the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home in Hilo. And Mayor Harry Kim today repeated his request to Gov. David Ige to have Avalon Healthcare removed as the Yukio Okutsu Veterans Home administrator.

The assessments were conducted separately by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA). Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, the oversight body for the state hospitals (including Hilo Medical Center) requested HI-EMA’s involvement.

The Dept. of Health’s (DOH) Office of Health Care Assurance (OHCA) is preparing a report on its inspection of infection control measures based on State and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services standards and requirements. The OHCA inspection report is still undergoing internal review and will be shared soon after the Veterans Home receives it. The home is operated by Avalon Health Group, under contract to the State of Hawai‘i.

Each of the two assessments highlights different observations, and in some cases places more emphasis on certain factors over others. Dr. K. Albert Yazawa, conducted the HI-EMA assessment and wrote, “I believe the nursing home culture at YOSHV was one that remained entrenched in pre-COVID norms of respecting individual resident rights over the health of the general population.” HI-EMA’s involvement was requested by the Healthcare Association of Hawai‘i and Dr. Yazawa collaborated closely with the VA assessment team.

The VA report noted “There was very little proactive preparation/planning for COVID. Many practices observed seemed as if they were a result of recent changes. Even though these are improvements, these are things that should have been in place from the pandemic onset and a major contributing factor towards the rapid spread. A basic understanding of segregation and workflow seemed to be lacking even approximately 3 weeks after first positive.”

“Staff were in-serviced on facility policies and procedures, but it appears there was no follow-up to ensure appropriate behaviors or enforcement,” according to the OHCA report.

The OHCA report said the staff received education on COVID-19 Infection and Control between June 10 to June 15, 2020. The HI-EMA assessment indicates in June full facility staff and resident mass testing was conducted and all tests came back negative.

The VA team sent seven medical and health care experts to visit the Veterans Home on Sept. 11. At that time the team reported ten residents had died from coronavirus and another 35 were positive. As of today, 24 residents of the Home have passed away.

The Veterans Administration formed a 20-person “Tiger Team” to help implement recommendations, provide training and oversight, and to provide needed staffing support and respite. In his letter to Gov. Ige today, Mayor Harry Kim says “I am writing to demand the removal of Avalon Health Care…the Tiger Team is fully capable in managing the Veterans Home until other arrangements are finalized.”

Neither the VA or HI-EMA report pinpoints the exact sources of infection. Both reports indicate some patients may have been exposed in early August after going for dialysis in Hilo. Liberty Dialysis, the only dialysis facility in Hilo, has had positive cases.