Consumer group cites 40 Oklahoma nursing homes

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A national consumer group has put one in 10 Oklahoma nursing homes on a watch list of long term care centers where the quality of care has been questioned.<br/><br/>The 40 locations

Thursday, September 23rd 2004, 6:09 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A national consumer group has put one in 10 Oklahoma nursing homes on a watch list of long term care centers where the quality of care has been questioned.

The 40 locations that Consumer Reports noted represent 10% of the state's 400 nursing homes.

Consumer Reports used data from federal and Oklahoma Health Department surveys between January 1999 and March 2003.

Some nursing home officials say they didn't know how they could be on the list.

Mark Ferris, operator of Tulsa's Green Park Nursing and Rehabilitation Center says his nursing home has normal problems, which are often corrected quickly.

Trudy Lieberman with the Center for Consumer Health Choices says staffing concerns at some nursing homes are causing the problems.

President of the state nursing association Tom Coble says the watch list is helpful in fixing shortcomings, but some of the information is not current.

Coble says some nursing homes have closed since the survey others have new names or management.