Affiliates:
Virginia League for Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood South Atlantic
covers Charlottesville and Roanoke
Locations: 6. Covered here: 6.
Patients who feel a need to file a complaint:
Virginia Department of Health, Disciplinary Proceedings – Complaints
Charlottesville
Health Violation Documents
Highlights:
Clinic Conditions
The exam table was torn at the corners. Half the reclining chairs also had tears. This created porous surfaces impossible to sterilize, risking the spread of infection.
There were open packages of medication that staff were administering to patients. However, staff failed to document the dates they were opened. Since open medications must be discarded a certain number of days after being opened, this oversight created the risk of using expired medication on patients.
Medication that had been removed from its original packaging and stored elsewhere was improperly labeled.
Used needles and sharp instruments weren’t stored safely. Sharp containers were on the floor and unsecured.
Two sinks in the procedure room didn’t meet the requirements of hand-washing stations.
The facility didn’t have medications on hand to treat cardiac emergencies that may arise during surgery.
The building failed to comply with state and local codes regulating surgical facilities.
Staff
Unqualified staff were dispensing medication (including controlled substances), administering vaccines, and doing birth control injections without sufficient training.
Inspectors observed a staff member perform a pelvic exam without washing their hands. They then went on to complete surgery, conduct an ultrasound, and handle medical waste without washing their hands between tasks or afterwards.
The governing body of the facility failed to document the appointment of a clinic administrator and staff couldn’t provide the name of one.
All but one employee were providing direct care to patients without proof of licensure on file.
The facility failed to conduct criminal background checks on staff who had access to controlled substances in violation of Virginia law.
The staff member in charge of infection control was not a licensed medical professional and had not received adequate training.
Paperwork indicated two staff members tested positive for tuberculosis, but there wasn’t any follow-up from a physician.
Privacy
The facility staff failed to ensure that medical records were stored in a secure area. Records containing personal information were observed lying on top of a shelf just inside a door, accessible to anyone who opened the unlocked door.
Other
Unsigned prescriptions for controlled substances were stored behind an unlocked door, where they could be accessed by unauthorized persons.
Narcotics weren’t kept locked up but were unsecured.
VA Charlottesville Google 1. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Charlottesville Google 2. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Charlottesville Google 3. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Charlottesville Google 4. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Charlottesville Google 5. Accessed 08.31.22.
VA Charlottesville Google 6. Accessed 08.31.22.
VA Charlottesville Yelp 1
Hampton
Google reviews / No page for Yelp
VA Hampton Google 1. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Hampton Google 2. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Hampton Google 3. Accessed 05.16.21.
Richmond (entire city)
Indeed.com Planned Parenthood Employee Reviews for Richmond, VA
VA Richmond Indeed 1
VA Richmond Indeed 2
VA Richmond Indeed 3
Richmond
Near West End Center
(previously Hamilton Square)
Health Violation Document:
Highlights:
Surfaces weren’t disinfected between patients.
Staff failed to maintain procedures which prevented cross-contamination and transmission of infections.
There was a sticky residue from tape on one of the exam tables that prevented the table from being properly disinfected between patients.
Four of the seven recliners in the recovery room were dirty, with particles of food in crevices between the seat cushions and the sides. Staff admitted the recliners hadn’t been disinfected between patients.
Disposable absorbent padding wasn’t changed between cases. Instruments and surgical supplies were placed on this padding, raising the risk of infection.
Staff failed to wash their hands after changing out of contaminated gloves before putting on new gloves. They also failed to use hand sanitizer and didn’t clean their hands after touching blood, bodily fluids, and dirty instruments.
Inspectors witnessed a staff member place a dirty container that had been sitting on top of a biohazard box onto an exam table a woman was about to lie on.
VA Richmond North West End Google 1. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Richmond North West End r Google 2. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Richmond North West End Google 3. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Richmond North West End Google 4. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Richmond North West End Google 5. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Richmond North West End Google 6. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Richmond North West End Google 7. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Richmond North West End Google 8. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Richmond North West End Google 9. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Richmond North West End Google 10. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Richmond North West End Google 11. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Richmond North West End Google 12. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Richmond North West End Google 13. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA RRichmond North West End Google 14. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Richmond North West End Yelp 1
VA Richmond North West End Yelp 2
VA Richmond North West End Yelp 3
VA Richmond North West End Yelp 4
Richmond
Church Hill
(previously East End)
Google reviews / No Yelp reviews yet available (center opened July 23, 2020).
VA Richmond Church Hill Google 1. Accessed 05.16.21.
Roanoke
Highlights:
Clinic Conditions
A brownish-red stain one inch long was found on an operating table. Staff claimed the stain was “possibly [the medication] betadine.” Staff attempted unsuccessfully to clean the table, then lifted the cushion, revealing extensive bloodstains beneath the cushion.
The report says: “The undercarriage of the support cushion had multiple areas where blood had dripped and ran down the undercarriage. The accumulation of dried blood varied in coloration and thickness. Staff #10 acknowledged the substance was dried blood and not betadine.”
One of the procedure tables was torn with exposed foam, creating a surface that couldn’t be properly sterilized.
Five of five chairs in the recovery room were torn and couldn’t be properly sterilized. Three chairs were also dirty, with food particles and “unidentifiable” substances between the seat cushions and arms. Staff admitted they weren’t being cleaned.
The facility had outdated supplies available for patient use. Tracheal tubes, used to maintain a patient’s airway in the event of an emergency, had expired eight years earlier. Sutures in the facility were 2-4 years past their expiration dates.
Indicator strips being used to test sterilization equipment were past their expiration dates.
Expired supplies were an ongoing problem. In a subsequent inspection, defibrillator pads, needed in an emergency, were found to be expired. There were no pads in the facility that hadn’t expired.
Emergency medication, available to be administered to patients, was also expired.
The surgery facility was out of compliance with requirements regarding airflow and air filtration.
There was no inspection report on one of the vacuum suction machines used for surgery. The same problem was found in a subsequent inspection.
There was no record that a pulse oximeter used for emergencies had been inspected.
In a subsequent inspection several years later, the facility’s pulse oximeter hadn’t been inspected by staff as required or given proper maintenance.
Inspectors found “dried yellow debris circled in brown” on a heating pad stored in a drawer labeled “gloves.”
Controlled substances weren’t stored securely. Although they were kept in a lockbox in a locked cabinet, the keys were kept in an unsecured location – an unlocked drawer in an unlocked office. Staff admitted every employee therefore had access to the medication.
Controlled substances in the crash card weren’t monitored, regularly counted, or kept secure.
A bottle of Ativan in the facility’s lockbox was open, and staff didn’t know whether the medicine had been accessed, or if any was unaccounted for.
The crash cart was missing vital emergency supplies. There were no foley catheters or Vasopressin, needed in emergencies.
There was no paperwork to indicate a completed inventory check of the emergency supplies for two months.
Regular inspections weren’t conducted of the emergency defibrillator.
There were open bottles of medication in the refrigerator with no labels as to when they’d been opened. One of those medications was supposed to be discarded 28-30 days after opening. Without a date on the bottle, staff were unable to determine how long it had been open, or when it should be discarded.
Emergency medications were listed as being in the crash cart, but weren’t there, and staff were unable to find them anywhere in the facility.
Staff
The facility failed to conduct criminal background checks on staff who were handling controlled substances, as required by Virginia law. This was an ongoing problem, also found in two other inspections, years later.
Staff failed to conduct pill counts and properly monitor controlled substances.
Staff failed to properly put on and take off personal protective equipment.
After handling materials in the medical waste lab, one staff member neglected to change gloves.
When mixing the solution used to sterilize instruments, a staff member failed to measure the components of the mixture or follow guidelines on how to prepare it. This created the risk that instruments weren’t properly sterilized.
A staff member was observed placing instruments that had just been cleaned on a surface covered in blood and tissue. These re-contaminated, dirty instruments were intended to be used on patients.
The facility failed to screen staff for vaccination status or communicable diseases to prevent staff from spreading diseases to patients, in violation of requirements from the US Occupational & Health Administration.
The facility had no policy for reporting “inappropriate behaviors” or violations among staff to the Board of Medicine or the Board of Nursing.
There were three doctors listed as employees of the facility. Inspectors asked a staff member if they were the only doctors performing surgery, and the staff member said that they were. However, inspectors found that multiple residents, who weren’t listed on the paperwork as employees, were also performing surgery. The facility had no written records as to the competency, privileges or credentials of these doctors, nor any records of their training.
The facility’s quality control committee failed to review the residents’ training program or “recognize the need to establish a system to verify resident physician’s qualification.”
Required drills on active shooter situations and patient complications were held, but attendance sheets showed some staff didn’t attend them.
Paperwork on drills for complications such as hemorrhage and anaphylaxis stated all nurses were present and demonstrated correct knowledge. However, when investigators looked at the sign-in sheets for these drills, they saw the nurses weren’t present. When questioned, staff admitted the nurses hadn’t attended the drills, and the paperwork was false.
Paperwork admitted that one nurse, who worked four hours a week in the recovery room, “has not been fully trained on medical standards and guidelines.”
An unlicensed staff member was administering Depo-Provera injections. There was no documentation indicating that this staff member had proficiency in the administration of intramuscular injections.
Two staff members didn’t have documentation on file that they underwent CPR training or were certified in CPR.
Internal paperwork reported that administrators had concerns about staffing (lack of nurses) in 2015 and 2016 that weren’t resolved at the time of the inspection. Staff said they intended to attract and hire more nurses, but there was no documented plan on how to do so. There was also no documentation on steps taken to resolve the issue.
Inspectors observed a staff member conducting a urine pregnancy test without wearing gloves.
Staff handled medication and dispensed it to patients without wearing gloves.
Staff left medication in an unlabeled, open container unattended in a room frequented by patients and staff.
Staff failed to document, log, or maintain any records of infections, as required.
Staff claimed that patient records were evaluated for completeness and accuracy but could provide no documentation that this was done.
Medical Records and Labels
Paperwork on individual surgeries didn’t list the names of the doctors who performed them. When asked how many surgeries were performed by each resident, staff couldn’t answer because no records were kept.
Records on employees were incomplete and lacked job descriptions as well as information about performance evaluations.
The facility had conducted audits of staff on personal protective equipment and hand hygiene but failed to record the results.
When staff took inventories of medication, they were required to document the expiration date (listed on the paperwork as “exp”) and the location of the medication in the facility (“loc”). When inspectors examined the records, they saw these boxes had been left blank. When questioned, the staff member tasked with doing the inventories stated that they had left them blank because they didn’t know what “exp” and “loc” meant.
One set of paperwork had checkmarks beside names of medications. Inspectors asked what the checkmarks meant, and staff didn’t know.
Incidents
Inspectors discovered that a patient had called the regional call center and reported that she was experiencing a complication and couldn’t get through to staff at the Roanoke facility. According to the notes, “Patient was very upset, stating that she thinks that she has a possible infection and can’t get in touch with anyone, and nobody will help her.” The patient said she’d been trying to contact the Roanoke clinic and the doctor “refuses to see her.” Even though the call was logged in the patient’s medical records, it was never documented as an official complaint or addressed as such by Planned Parenthood. When questioned, staff members at the Roanoke facility weren’t aware of the call or the situation. They didn’t recognize the name of the call center employee listed in the records. It is unknown whether and where the patient received medical assistance.
Treatment of Patients
Paperwork given to patients about the process for filing complaints didn’t include a statement that all complaints would be responded to within 30 days.
Staff were performing surgery with vacuum curettes that had expired two years before. Surgical supplies used for IVs were 12 years past their expiration date.
When preparing to give a patient an injection from a multi-dose bottle of lidocaine, a staff member failed to clean the top of the bottle with an alcohol swab before inserting the needle into the bottle. This created a risk of infection for the patient.
Staff admitted that the operating tables (one of which had bloodstains) had not been sterilized between patients.
Staff had no system to report or respond to patient complaints, and complaints that had been made weren’t investigated or resolved.
The facility didn’t offer testing for sexually transmitted diseases to patients coming in for surgery, nor did they ask patients about symptoms or STD history. Patients who have surgry while infected with an untreated STD have a higher risk of developing pelvic inflammatory disease.
Other
The facility had no policy for reporting disease outbreaks or infection rates to the health department in accordance with requirements and weren’t doing so.
The facility had no policies or procedures for reporting potential patient deaths to the Office of Licensure and Certification.
The facility had no policies or procedures for infection control and performed no annual review related to infection prevention policy.
Indeed.com Planned Parenthood Employee Reviews for Roanoke, VA
VA Roanoke Indeed 1
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VA Roanoke Google 1. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Roanoke Google 2. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Roanoke Google 3. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Roanoke Google 4. Accessed 08.31.22.
VA Roanoke Google 5. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Roanoke Google 6. Accessed 05.16.21.
Virginia Beach
October 14, 2011
April 7, 2017
Indeed.com Planned Parenthood Employee Reviews for Virginia Beach, VA
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VA Virginia Beach Google 1. Accessed 08.20.22.
VA Virginia Beach Google 2. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Virginia Beach Google 3. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Virginia Beach Google 4. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Virginia Beach Google 5. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Virginia Beach Google 6. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Virginia Beach Google 7. Accessed 05.16.21.
VA Virginia Beach Google 8. Accessed 05.16.21.
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VA Virginia Beach Google 10. Accessed 05.16.21.
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VA Virginia Beach Google 13. Accessed 08.31.22.
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VA Virginia Beach Google 15. Accessed 08.31.22.
VA Virginia Beach Google 16. Accessed 08.31.22.
VA Virginia Beach Google 17. Accessed 08.31.22.
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VA Virginia Beach Google 19. Accessed 08.31.22.
VA Virginia Beach Yelp 1
VA Virginia Beach Yelp 2
