SAN DIEGO - A nursing home in Encinitas was fined $100,000 Monday by the California Department of Public Health, which concluded that failure to maintain a hazard-free facility resulted in a patient's death.
Aviara Healthcare Center received the department's "AA" citation, the most severe penalty under state law.
"The facility created a hazard by improperly storing a large mechanical patient lift in a hallway," according to a CDPH statement. "A patient grabbed the lift during a fall, tipping it over. The resulting injuries led to the patient's death."
An administrator for the nursing home did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.
California has the statutory authority to impose fines against nursing facilities it licenses as part of enforcement remedies for poor care.
