Moratorium Lifted at Fort Bayard Medical Center

The New Mexico Department of Health has lifted the self-imposed moratorium of the admission of long-term care residents to the Fort Bayard Medical Center after key positions at the facility were filled and other health and safety measures were put into place.

Secretary of Health Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a resolution that will allow for the gradual admission of long-term care patients to the facility. A gradual admission, a standard practice for a facility that was placed under a moratorium, will allow new staff to be added as new residents are admitted.

"We have a commitment to the community to provide the best standard of care possible," Grisham said. ""We are holding ourselves to the same standards that we hold private facilities. I believe Fort Bayard is now in far better shape to meet those standards."

In July 2005, the secretaries of the Department of Health and Aging and Long-Term Services Department brought a team of medical professionals and long-term care experts to Fort Bayard to personally address concerns that were raised by DOH's licensing and certification staff.

The actions reflected Governor Bill Richardson's policy of zero tolerance of abuse, neglect or exploitation in long-term care facilities.
The efforts led to the decision to impose the moratorium. Since that time, a new administrator,medical director, activities director and executive nursing director have been hired. The department retrained staff on a variety of areas, including residents rights and the requirements of reporting potential abuse, neglect or exploitation of residents. In addition, the department reviewed every resident's medical record to ensure that they were receiving the appropriate care and medication.

The moratorium was lifted at the request of the Fort Bayard Medical Center Governing Board and GeoCare, Inc., the contractor that provides management and oversight to the facility.

Grisham said the department will continue to monitor the status of Fort Bayard Medical Center to ensure the best standard of care is being provided to the residents. Staff from the Department of Health work daily with GeoCare to continue improvements at the facility.

GeoCare will oversee the construction of a new facility, which is set to begin in 2007.