PUEBLO – A Pueblo company that helps children with special needs was notified earlier this week that it would be losing it’s federal Medicare and Medicaid certification after a state inspection done in August.
AIM Home Health told News 5 on Friday that it was cited for skills competency on its certified nursing assistants. Staff said they were given a plan to correct this, they completed it, and were told state inspectors would be back for another visit. They waited for two weeks and no one showed up.
With the company’s certification pulled, it’s leaving many families in jeopardy.
Bernadette Martinez said, “It’s a scary world to have a special needs child and to not have people in your team, in your court. I don’t know what I would do without the company.”
Martinez has been with AIM Home Health for the last two years. She got involved after her son was born with a rare genetic disorder called recombinant 8 or San Luis Valley syndrome.
“He has GI issues, neurological issues. Right now he’s still not walking, talking, crawling.”
To take care of her son, Martinez joined the AIM Health Academy. She received her certified nursing assistant license and is now paid to be a stay-at-home mom.
“Our families mean so much to them.”
Fellow Parent CNA Alice Ledbetter said, “This takes so much stress off of us as parents to know that we’ve got people behind us.”
However, the support these parents count on each and every day could vanish in just a few weeks.
Ledbetter said, “It’s the worst thing that could ever happen to all these disabled children.”
Kellie Avila, owner of AIM Home Health, said the company was cited by the feds for training issues with CNA’s. AIM worked quickly to resolve the issue and, as of Friday, was still waiting for a follow up from state inspectors.
Avila said, “They called me Monday to say that they weren’t coming and as of Wednesday they were going to pull our certification.”
As Avila said, it was totally unexpected.
“If this were such an issue and they felt like our agency was putting these families in danger why weren’t they back sooner…what I feel is happened is they’re denying me the right to due process. They’re denying our families the right to prove their competency.”
Avila hopes to get answers, and to save the business and families she’s come to cherish.
AIM staff said the company has 30 days to transition its patients to new facilities, but they’re hopeful the situation is sorted out before then.
On Friday, News 5 did reach out to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and as of Friday night was waiting for someone who could speak to this issue.
