Heading into September, 14 of Iowa’s 135 home-health agencies inspected by the state had been cited for violations. Four of the agencies are run by county health departments, including Floyd County Public Health and Home Health Care.
During Monday’s (09.18) Floyd County Board of Supervisors meeting, Public Health Administrator Gail Arjes responded to issues that came to light in a recent report by the Iowa Capital Dispatch. She explained that the minor violations included two paperwork-related items and the third was an infection-control issue when a nurse didn’t put down a barrier between her bag and what she thought was a clean surface that wasn’t, according to the surveyor accompanying the home visit in question.
Arjes added that despite those infractions, her department received one of its best overall surveys in recent years.
Arjes says the state inspector survey was done on January 19th, she submitted her “plan of correction†on January 30th, and it was approved in February with no questions asked.Â
Still, they can’t meet all the needs of those seeking home health care.
Arjes also noted that Floyd County Public Health is largely the only home health care agency serving the County, although Mercy Homecare does have some patients in the County, which is due for its next state inspection in 2026.
