Two Iowa nursing home administrators have been sanctioned for recurring quality-of-care issues at the homes they have managed.
The Iowa Board of Nursing Home Administrators recently charged Mitchell Worcester with negligence in the practice of the profession, a charge that is based on a failure to exercise due care.
State and federal records show that in February 2025, while Worcester served as the administrator at Tabor Manor Care Center, the 46-bed Fremont County facility was cited for 31 state and federal regulatory violations related to resident care — an exceptionally high number.
The violations included failure to provide a safe, clean and homelike environment, failure to maintain patient records, failure to post inspection results, failure to complete background checks on prospective employees, failure to investigate reports of abuse, failure to inform the state of all abuse allegations, failure to establish a system that allowed residents to summon the staff for assistance and numerous other violations related to drugs, medication errors, payroll, staff training, environmental hazards, and food.
At the same time the board filed the charges, it agreed to settle the case with an agreement that calls for Worcester to complete 10 hours of educational training on resident rights and resident abuse. In addition, Worcester’s license will be placed on probation for one year.
Worcester, who is still the administrator and a partial owner of Tabor Manor Care Center, said Friday the home’s financial struggles, which include a bankruptcy proceeding initiated two years ago, have made his job a challenge.
“Naturally after you go through a Chapter 11 reorganization, and with the work-ethic issues that is present in today’s environment, and with staffing constraints, yes, it is a handful to own and operate a standalone nursing facility,” he said. “So those are some of the hurdles and constraints we’ve been bouncing back from… At the end of the day, it’s my responsibility, and I own that. But I’ve been doing this work for about 30 years and it’s harder now than I have ever seen it.”
In May 2024, Tabor Manor Care Center filed for bankruptcy, listing $1.3 million in assets and $2.3 million in liabilities. By far, the home’s single largest creditor was the State of Iowa — specifically, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services/Iowa Medicaid Enterprises. The home reported that it owed the agency $1.1 million.
The debt was tied to Quality Assurance Assessment fees owed to the state and which dated back to 2019, according to bankruptcy records. In August 2024, attorneys for Tabor Manor filed a reorganization plan that called for the facility’s owners to pay the state the $1.1 million over the course of the next 10 ½ years.
On the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ five-star quality scale, Tabor Manor currently has one-star ratings for both health inspections and staffing levels.
West Point Care Center case
In a separate proceeding, the board also charged Miriam Johnson with negligence in the practice of the profession, a charge that is based on an alleged failure to exercise due care.
The board alleges that in January 2024, while Johnson served as the administrator of West Point Care Center, the 46-bed Lee County facility was cited for multiple violations, including failure to report abuse and failure to conduct a thorough investigation into reports of abuse.
State inspection reports indicate multiple staffers at the home had expressed concerns that one of their colleagues, a certified nursing assistant, was “mean” and verbally abusive to residents with dementia and would sometimes mock them and taunt them. One worker allegedly told inspectors the CNA would “agitate the hell out of every single resident” she cared for.
At the same time it filed charges against Johnson, the board agreed to settle the case with an agreement that calls for Johnson to complete 10 hours of educational training on resident abuse and quality assurance.
On the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ five-star quality scale, West Point Care Center currently has four-star ratings for both health inspections and staffing levels, and a five-star rating overall. Federal records indicate the home is a for-profit enterprise owned by the Thomas F. Juckette Marital Trust and that it is run by Vicki Irvin and Linda Juckette of Capstone Management.
A staffer at West Point Care Center said Friday that Johnson is currently on vacation and is no longer serving as the home’s administrator. The facility’s provisional administrator referred all questions to Capstone Management, which did not respond to calls Friday from the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
