Ketchikan Med Ctr: 10 Deficiencies, Rights Denied - AK
The meeting took place on July 23, 2025. According to the facility's Chief Nursing Officer, who was present, the administrator told the visitors they could not stay. The CNO told inspectors she personally witnessed several residents say out loud that they wanted the visitors to remain.
One of those visitors, identified in the inspection report as Visitor #3, told inspectors he or she had been invited specifically because residents wanted to voice concerns about activities. When Visitor #3 arrived, the administrator said she didn't want the meeting to turn political. She asked Visitor #3 several times to leave. Visitor #3 complied, saying later he or she didn't want to cause a disruption.
Nobody asked the residents what they wanted, despite the fact that they had already said it plainly.
The facility's own written policies state that residents have the right to visitors of their choosing, at the time of their choosing, and that visitation is to be resident-centered. The same documents say residents have the right to exercise their rights without interference, coercion, discrimination, or reprisal, and that they are specifically permitted to receive visits from resident advocates and community members.
Inspectors also found that the facility's Resident Council Meetings policy contained no language permitting residents to invite guests to their own meetings, a gap that left the practice unprotected in writing even as the facility's broader rights documents guaranteed it.
The deficiency was cited as affecting many residents, with minimal harm or potential for actual harm. The inspection was conducted as a complaint investigation, completed September 9, 2025.
The residents who wanted their visitors to stay were outvoted by one person who held the authority to make them leave.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Ketchikan Med Ctr New Horizons Transitional Care from 2025-09-09 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: August 4, 2026 · Our methodology
KETCHIKAN MED CTR NEW HORIZONS TRANSITIONAL CARE in KETCHIKAN, AK was cited for violations during a health inspection on September 9, 2025.
The meeting took place on July 23, 2025.
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.