Spokane Health & Rehabilitation: Property Rights Failures - WA
That single missing grievance opened a wider question about how the facility handles residents' personal property, and whether the forms residents sign at admission are designed to protect them or to protect the building.
Inspectors visiting the North Assembly Street facility in late April found that admission documents contained language that three separate staff members, when pressed, acknowledged sounded like the facility was letting itself off the hook. The inventory sheet given to residents upon arrival included this statement: "We urge you not to keep cash/valuables or irreplaceable items at the facility. We encourage you to take these items home or allow staff to lock them in the facility safe. The facility is not responsible for items of value that you elect to keep unlocked."
The Social Service Director, identified in the inspection report as Staff V, reviewed that language during an interview on April 22 and acknowledged it "sounded like it waived potential facility liability for losses of personal property." Staff V also confirmed there was no grievance on file for Resident 85's broken cell phone screen, despite the facility's own process requiring one whenever a resident reports a missing or damaged item.
The admission agreement contained similar language. Staff V acknowledged every resident should have both the inventory sheet and the admission agreement completed upon arrival.
The Assistant Director of Nursing, Staff C, was asked directly whether the inventory sheet statement waived potential facility liability. Staff C declined to answer and referred the inspector to the administrator.
The administrator, Staff A, took a different position. When shown the same language, Staff A said the verbiage "referred to resident clothing." That explanation did not address the phrase "items of value." When the inspector asked again whether the language waived potential liability, Staff A said the facility "provided reasonable care for resident's property" and moved on.
Staff A also said they believed a grievance had been filed about Resident 85's cell phone. The inspector asked for a copy. None was produced.
The facility's stated process, as described by the admissions nurse identified as Staff F, was straightforward enough: complete an inventory sheet at admission, and if a resident later reports something missing or broken, fill out a grievance form and send it to Social Services to track and resolve. Staff F was uncertain whether residents were ever reimbursed for lost or damaged items.
What the inspection found is that the process existed mostly on paper. The inventory sheet had recently been revised, which Staff C confirmed during a records review. Whether previous versions contained the same liability language, and how many residents signed them, the report does not say.
Residents in nursing facilities are among the most vulnerable property holders imaginable. Many cannot leave to retrieve belongings, cannot easily replace a broken phone, and depend entirely on staff to safeguard what little they brought with them. A cell phone is not a luxury for someone who cannot walk to a neighbor's house. It is often the primary way a resident calls family, calls a doctor, calls anyone.
Resident 85 reported a broken screen. The facility's own rules said a grievance should have been filed. The Social Service Director confirmed it wasn't. The administrator said they thought one existed. It didn't, or if it did, no one could find it by the time inspectors were asking.
The admission paperwork, meanwhile, told residents on the day they arrived that the facility was not responsible for items of value they chose to keep in their own rooms.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Spokane Health & Rehabilitation from 2025-04-24 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: This article is based on inspection data downloaded directly from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via Medicare.gov. CMS releases inspection reports in bulk; we publish the findings as documented by state surveyors in the official Form CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies.
Plan of correction: The CMS report we receive does not include the facility's plan of correction. Facilities submit plans of correction separately to state survey agencies and those responses may not be reflected in CMS data at the time of publication. The absence of a plan of correction in our data does not mean one was not filed. Readers who want information about corrective steps taken are encouraged to contact the facility directly or their state survey agency.
Corrections may have occurred: Inspection reports reflect conditions observed on the date of the survey. Facilities may have implemented corrections, staffing changes, additional training, or other remediation since the report was issued. We report what CMS provides and encourage readers to seek current information from the facility.
Editorial process: Inspection findings are extracted from CMS source documents and synthesized using AI, reviewed for factual accuracy against the original report by our editorial team.
Corrections: We strive for accuracy in everything we publish. If you believe any fact in this article is incorrect, please contact us with details, and we will review and correct it promptly.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: October 27, 2026 · Our methodology
SPOKANE HEALTH & REHABILITATION in SPOKANE, WA was cited for violations during a health inspection on April 24, 2025.
The inventory sheet given to residents upon arrival included this statement: "We urge you not to keep cash/valuables or irreplaceable items at the facility.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.