Assisted living sent resident to doctor's appointment after giving him 18 shots, 5 am beer: officials
State investigators from Minnesota's Department of Health claimed an assisted living facility provided a mentally ill man with 18 shots of liquor in the 24 hours before a doctor's appointment.
State investigators concluded that Covered Bridge Assisted Living in Holdingford was responsible for neglect after supplying resident Don Brambrink with a substantial amount of alcohol before his doctor's appointment, affiliate FOX 9 Minneapolis reported.
Authorities were alerted when Brambrink missed his scheduled telehealth appointment after drinking too much while fishing.
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The facility's registered nurse (RN) told investigators that Brambrink was "dead to the world" after drinking while fishing, according to an investigative report from the Department of Health.
"The night before the scheduled appointment, the resident was given 2 shots of alcohol at 6:54 p.m., 2 shots at 8 p.m., and 2 shots at 9:20 p.m. The morning of the appointment, staff gave the resident 2 shots at 3:55 a.m., a beer at 5 a.m., 2 shots at 5:55 a.m., 2 shots at 8:15 a.m., 2 shots at 9:15 a.m., and 2 shots at 10:55 a.m., and 2 shots at 12:30 p.m.," the report read.
Brambrink's primary care physician, according to the report, requested he be sent to the emergency room.
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"When someone from the PCP’s office called back to request vital signs be taken, the RN reported the resident was found down on the floor and that he 'didn’t feel right.' He was transported to the emergency room shortly after," the report claimed.
Hospital staff wanted to keep Brambrink overnight to evaluate him for alcohol withdrawal, but he refused, telling them he "would rather go home and continue to drink," the report states.
Brambrink's blood alcohol level was at 0.23%, almost 3x the legal limit of 0.08%, according to the report.
The assisted care resident had numerous mental health diagnoses, including psychoactive substance abuse and anxiety, according to the report.
"The resident’s assessment indicated the resident had heard voices for 40 years and was homeless prior to moving into the facility. The resident was noted to have a history of alcohol use, drank alcohol daily, and had a history of meth use," the report read.
The facility had a typed-out "alcohol plan" for Brambrink which stipulated he gets two shots per hour because he was "trying to drown out the voices," the report stated.
Covered Bridge's owner Trista Barstow defended her facility's actions in an interview with FOX 9, arguing that her facility is one of the few that will take in what she called "extreme alcoholics."
"Monitoring them and trying to help them space these things out is actually a step-up. Which, sounds insane," she admitted.
"We respectfully disagree with the cited deficiency and intend to appeal. We believe our policies, individualized care planning, and documentation reflect our commitment to resident rights, resident safety, and compliance with Minnesota assisted living regulations," she said in a statement.
"Under the Minnesota Resident Bill of Rights, competent adult residents have the right to make lawful personal choices, including whether to consume alcohol. That includes the right to make decisions we may not agree with or recommend, including excessive drinking," Barstow added. "Our responsibility is not to make those decisions for residents, but to educate them about the risks, assess their health and safety, monitor for concerns, and respond appropriately when intervention is needed.
"If a resident's condition requires medical evaluation or emergency care, we take the appropriate steps to ensure their safety, including arranging transport to the emergency department when necessary."
Fox News Digital contacted Covered Bridge and the Minnesota Department of Health for further comment.