Putnam Center: Abuse Investigation Failures - WV
He does it sometimes. If they ask.
The admission came during a complaint inspection on October 30, 2025, and it sat at the center of what federal inspectors documented as a failure to properly investigate and respond to an allegation involving a resident identified in records only as Resident 102.
The resident developed a wound to the groin and genital area. A progress note dated August 8, 2025, documented the injury as moisture-associated skin damage, specifically incontinence-associated dermatitis, a condition that develops when skin is exposed to urine or stool for extended periods. The note recorded it as a new, acquired in-house wound, meaning it developed while the resident was under the facility's care.
A follow-up document dated August 7 — one day earlier, suggesting it was prepared as part of the initial incident review — recorded an interview with the staff member identified as the alleged perpetrator. That employee no longer works at Putnam Center. According to the document, she said she had checked whether the resident was dry twice before 8:00 AM on the day of the incident, and once more at 9:30 AM.
Three checks. A wound to the genitals documented the following morning.
What inspectors found missing was not just the outcome of that investigation, but the process surrounding it. The administrator told inspectors he considers other factors when deciding how to handle complaints — whether there were other witnesses, whether the alleged perpetrator had been named in prior investigations. What he did not describe was a consistent practice of closing the loop with the people who came forward in the first place.
Federal guidelines classify abuse to include neglect, the failure to provide goods and services necessary to avoid physical harm. Incontinence-associated dermatitis, when it develops to the point of breaking skin in the genital area, is among the injuries inspectors look for as a marker of inadequate care. It does not develop instantly. It develops when wet skin goes unattended.
The staff member's account, recorded in the facility's own follow-up document, placed her last check at 9:30 AM. The wound was documented the next morning. The inspection record does not describe what, if anything, the facility concluded about the gap between those check-ins and the injury that followed.
That gap in the record is part of what inspectors flagged. The deficiency, classified under the federal abuse prohibition tag, was cited at a level of minimal harm or potential for actual harm. That language reflects the regulatory floor, not necessarily the resident's experience.
The administrator's candor about his own practices was, in its way, the most direct evidence inspectors had. He said he tries to take all sides into consideration. He said he factors in whether the alleged perpetrator was involved in other investigations. What he described, though, was a system where the person who filed a complaint might never learn what the facility found, unless they thought to call and ask.
Putnam Center is located at 300 Seville Road in Hurricane, West Virginia, and operates under CMS facility ID 515070. The inspection was a complaint survey, meaning someone contacted regulators with concerns before inspectors arrived.
The resident at the center of it had a wound in one of the most sensitive areas of the body. Whether anyone told the person who reported the concern what the facility ultimately concluded is not recorded in the inspection documents. Based on what the administrator described, the answer depends on whether that person knew to ask.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Putnam Center from 2025-10-30 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.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: September 6, 2026 · Our methodology
PUTNAM CENTER in HURRICANE, WV was cited for abuse-related violations during a health inspection on October 30, 2025.
The resident developed a wound to the groin and genital area.
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.