Spokane Health & Rehabilitation: Vaccine Failure - WA
That is the central finding from a federal inspection completed April 24, 2025, at the facility located at North 6025 Assembly in Spokane. Inspectors identified the failure as a deficiency under Washington state regulations governing immunization practices in licensed nursing facilities.
The resident is identified in inspection records only as Resident 6. What the records make clear is that consent had already been obtained. The step that follows consent, the actual administration of the vaccine, did not happen.
Inspectors rated the level of harm as minimal harm or potential for actual harm. That language, drawn directly from the federal deficiency rating system, places the violation at the lower end of the severity scale. It does not mean nothing went wrong. It means inspectors concluded the resident was not yet seriously hurt, or that the conditions created a credible risk of harm that had not fully materialized by the time of the inspection.
The gap between those two things, a risk that has not yet materialized and one that has, can close quickly in a nursing home population.
Influenza is not a minor illness for elderly residents. Among people 65 and older, flu complications are a leading cause of hospitalization and death in the United States every year. Vaccination is one of the most basic and well-established tools available to reduce that risk. It requires no specialized equipment, no elaborate procedure, and no clinical judgment call once a resident has already agreed to receive it. The consent was done. The work that remained was straightforward.
It did not get done.
Inspectors noted that only a few residents were affected by this deficiency, suggesting the lapse was not facility-wide. But the inspection record does not explain why Resident 6's vaccine was missed, who was responsible for tracking immunization status, or whether anyone at the facility identified the gap before inspectors arrived.
The deficiency was cited under WAC 388-97-1340, the Washington Administrative Code section governing immunization services in nursing facilities. The regulation requires that residents be offered immunizations, that consent or refusal be documented, and that vaccines be administered in accordance with that documented consent. Resident 6 had cleared every step of that process except the last one.
Spokane Health & Rehabilitation operates on the north side of Spokane, a city where winters are cold and flu season runs long. The facility's plan to correct the deficiency was not included in the inspection materials released publicly. Residents or family members seeking information about the correction plan are directed to contact the facility or the Washington State Department of Health survey agency directly.
Federal inspection reports are public documents, filed with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and accessible through the agency's Care Compare database. They are among the few tools available to families trying to evaluate the quality of care at a facility before placing a loved one there, or while a loved one is already a resident.
What this report shows is a resident who did what was asked of them. They consented. They waited. The vaccine did not come.
Whether Resident 6 later received the influenza vaccine, whether they got sick during the flu season in question, whether anyone at the facility explained to them what had happened, none of that appears in the inspection record. The record ends where the deficiency ends: a consent form on file, and a vaccine that was never administered.
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 31, 2026 · Our methodology
SPOKANE HEALTH & REHABILITATION in SPOKANE, WA was cited for violations during a health inspection on April 24, 2025.
That is the central finding from a federal inspection completed April 24, 2025, at the facility located at North 6025 Assembly in Spokane.
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.