Thirty-two Indiana nursing homes boasted zero deficiencies in their annual surveys conducted from April through June 2004, state health officials recently announced.

A total of 151 nursing homes in Indiana had their annual surveys during this period.

"As part of our continuing effort to inform the public about nursing home care in Indiana, we want to let people know when facilities have an outstanding annual survey," said Terry Whitson, assistant commissioner for Health Care Regulatory Services at the Indiana State Department of Health.

"Our inspection process is rigorous, so we want to congratulate the managers and staffs of these 32 facilities that had zero deficiencies," Whitson said.

For each annual survey of a long-term care facility, a team of three or four professional surveyors performs detailed inspections that last from four days to two weeks. The team members are registered nurses or social workers.

The annual surveys cover these areas:

• residents' rights, including admission, transfer, and discharge;

• residents' behavior and facility practices (how the facility protects

its residents);

• quality of life;

• resident assessment (how the facility determines the appropriate care for each resident);

• quality of care;

• nursing services;

• physician services;

• dental services;

• infection control;

• physical environment; and

• administration.

Local nursing homes that had deficiency-free annual surveys in the second quarter of 2004 (listed by county of location) are: Dubois--Skilled Caring Center of Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, 800 W. Ninth Street in Jasper; Vanderburgh--Deaconness Hospital-PCC, 600 Mary Street in Evansville, Parkview Care Center, 2819 North St. Joseph Avenue in Evansville, and The Terrace at Solarbron, 1701 McDowell Road in Evansville; and Warrick--Angel River Health and Rehabilitation, 5233 Rosebud Lane in Newburgh.