DSHS falls short on Lakeland Village

OLYMPIA – The Department of Social and Health Services received notification on Sept. 13 that Lakeland Village, a residential habilitation center for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, is being placed in a “denial of payment” status and will not be able to access federal funds for new residents.

The notification comes as the result of a survey last month when inspectors from Residential Care Services – representing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, an arm of the federal government – arrived to study the center’s intermediate care facility that houses 98 residents. After the survey, which included reviewing records, interviewing staff and conducting observations for nine residents, surveyors said Lakeland Village failed to meet a number of federal requirements. These findings included not meeting requirements for:

continuous and aggressive skills training,
systems to ensure program oversight and service delivery and
client health care service related to implementing community medical provider recommendations.
“The Lakeland Village team takes these findings very seriously and we immediately began working on strategies and solutions to address the concerns,” explained Connie Lambert-Eckel, superintendent of the residential habilitation center. “We remain committed and confident to fully restoring our certification and continuing to provide the best possible level of care and treatment for the residents who live here.”

“Our first priority is supporting the people in our care,” said Evelyn Perez, DSHS assistant secretary for the agency’s Developmental Disabilities Administration. “After seeing the statement of deficiencies we’re confident we can resolve the issues and come back into compliance quickly.”

In the meantime, Perez said DSHS does not expect disruptions to services provided to current residents. In addition to the intermediate care facility, Lakeland Village operates a nursing facility with 92 residents, none of whom are impacted by these survey results.

The facility has 10 calendar days to submit a plan of correction that addresses each area deemed to be out of compliance. If the department is unable to resolve the issues, Lakeland Village could move toward decertification.

Lakeland Village was established in 1914 and is one of four state-operated facilities for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Located in Medical Lake, Lakeland Village spans more than 600 acres and houses approximately 200 residents with a $67.6 million annual budget.