An overheated Camden nursing home has been ordered to halt admissions after an air conditioning failure
Air conditioning on the third floor of Majestic Center was out for nine days, regulators found.
New Jersey regulators this month ordered a Camden nursing home to halt admissions after an air-conditioning failure caused the temperature in some patient rooms to reach 92 degrees — 10 degrees hotter than regulations allow.
Majestic Center for Rehab and Subacute Care also violated a regulation requiring nursing homes to have an administrator with a current New Jersey license, according to the state Department of Health’s July 18 penalty notice.
When inspectors arrived at Majestic on July 15, they discovered that the air-conditioning on the third floor of the 120-bed facility at 2 Cooper Plaza had not been working since July 6. The report criticized management for having no “immediate plan to correct the HVAC malfunction” despite the 89-degree outside temperature and for failing to report the incident to regulators.
Older adults are particularly vulnerable to high temperatures, in part because aging diminishes the body’s ability to regulate its temperature.
At Majestic, “107 of 114 residents were deemed high risk for adverse consequences if exposed to prolonged heat,” the state notice said.
As of Friday, the state had not posted an order allowing Majestic to resume admissions.
In addition to curtailing admissions at Majestic, the state ordered the facility to hire a full-time consultant to help run the facility, a consultant director of nursing, and a licensed nursing home administrator.
Majestic was also required to record the temperature in each patient room during each shift and send that information to state officials.
The state action comes after federal regulators in March fined Majestic $305,200. A federal inspection report issued around that time says that on Feb. 4, a resident attacked their roommate by hitting them in their chest and was allowed to continue staying in the same room, a violation of nursing home regulations.
Officials at Majestic, including executive director Richard Cohen, did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Cohen’s email address used by state officials is at a company called Outcome Healthcare LLC, which is based in Edison, according to public records.
Federal records identify Charles-Edouard Gros as 50% owner of Majestic. In addition to seven other New Jersey nursing homes, Gros is also listed in federal records as an owner of six former Archdiocese of Philadelphia nursing homes in Southeastern Pennsylvania. At two of the Pennsylvania facilities, Gros has turned over management to another company.