VANCOUVER, WA — Federal health inspectors identified 15 deficiencies at Bridge Crest Post Acute during a standard health inspection completed on December 12, 2025, including a pharmacy service violation involving improper drug storage and labeling practices. The facility has not submitted a plan of correction for the cited deficiency.
Medications Found Improperly Stored and Labeled
Among the deficiencies documented during the inspection, regulators cited Bridge Crest Post Acute under federal tag F0761, which governs how nursing facilities must handle pharmaceutical products. Inspectors determined the facility failed to ensure that drugs and biologicals were labeled according to accepted professional standards and that all medications — including controlled substances — were stored in appropriately locked compartments.
Federal regulations require nursing homes to maintain separately locked storage for controlled drugs, distinct from general medication storage areas. Proper labeling must include essential information such as drug name, dosage, expiration date, and any special storage instructions. When these protocols are not followed, the risk of medication errors increases significantly.
The violation was classified at Scope/Severity Level D, meaning it was isolated in nature and did not result in documented harm to residents. However, inspectors noted the conditions carried potential for more than minimal harm, a designation that signals real risk even in the absence of an adverse event.
Why Proper Drug Storage Matters in Long-Term Care
Medication management is one of the most critical safety functions in any nursing home. Residents in long-term care facilities typically take multiple medications simultaneously, and many of these individuals have cognitive impairments that prevent them from monitoring their own care.
Unlocked or improperly secured medication storage creates several measurable risks. Controlled substances — which include opioids, benzodiazepines, and other medications with high potential for misuse — must be kept under separate lock to prevent diversion, accidental ingestion by the wrong resident, or theft. When controlled drugs are not segregated and secured, vulnerable residents may be exposed to dangerous substances.
Improper labeling compounds these risks. A medication that lacks clear identification or has an obscured expiration date can lead to administration of expired drugs, incorrect dosing, or delivery of the wrong medication to a resident entirely. In elderly populations, even a single medication error can trigger serious consequences including falls, organ damage, dangerous drug interactions, or hospitalization.
According to standard pharmacy practice, every medication in a nursing facility should be clearly labeled with the drug name, strength, lot number, expiration date, and any required storage conditions such as refrigeration. These requirements exist because the margin for error in geriatric care is exceptionally narrow.
Fifteen Total Deficiencies and No Correction Plan
The drug storage violation was one component of a broader pattern identified during the December inspection. Bridge Crest Post Acute was cited for a total of 15 deficiencies across the inspection, suggesting systemic issues extending beyond pharmacy services alone.
Perhaps most concerning, the inspection record indicates the facility's correction status is listed as "Deficient, Provider has no plan of correction" for the pharmacy violation. Federal regulations require nursing homes to submit a plan of correction outlining specific steps they will take to address each cited deficiency, along with a timeline for completion. The absence of such a plan raises questions about the facility's responsiveness to regulatory findings.
When a facility does not submit a timely correction plan, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may pursue escalating enforcement actions, which can include civil monetary penalties, denial of payment for new admissions, or in severe cases, termination from the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
What Residents and Families Should Know
Families with loved ones at Bridge Crest Post Acute may want to review the facility's full inspection report, which is publicly available through the CMS Care Compare database. The complete report details all 15 deficiencies identified during the December 2025 inspection and provides additional context about the conditions observed.
Residents and their advocates have the right to ask facility administrators directly about what steps are being taken to address cited deficiencies. Key questions include whether medication storage has been brought into compliance, whether staff have received additional pharmacy safety training, and when the facility intends to submit its correction plan to regulators.
Bridge Crest Post Acute is located in Vancouver, Washington and participates in the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs, which require compliance with minimum safety and quality standards as a condition of participation.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Bridge Crest Post Acute from 2025-12-12 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
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