State Regulators Find Cannon Falls Nursing Home Lacked Supervision of Patient

Minnesota regulators released results of an investigation Wednesday into the death of a 77-year-old resident of the Gardens in Cannon Falls.

The Minnesota Department of Health says the nursing home failed to adequately supervise the woman after she died choking on a sandwich.

The report says staff at the nursing home knew the resident did not like her soft diet and would routinely try to take solid food from others. The state report says she took a sandwich when aides weren't looking and choked.

The report says staff did the Heimlich maneuver and chest compressions and phoned 911, but the resident died on the way to the hospital.

The Star Tribune identifies the resident as Margarita Schuler. She died in mid-November.

In another investigation, the Minnesota Department of Health says an internal review found evidence of misconduct by a laboratory employee. In response, the Department of Health removed the employee from lab duties and is bringing in external reviewers to conduct a thorough investigation.

The alleged misconduct involved analysis of drinking water and untreated groundwater and surface water. The samples were run to look for volatile organic compounds, gasoline and diesel products.

According to a press release issued by the Minnesota Department of Health, "the evidence indicates the employee did not follow proper procedures to verify instrument calibration and avoided quality control steps that may have generated weaker, less defensible results.

No motive has been determined.