Wichita ? A Wichita nursing home is under investigation after doctors reported finding open sores and maggots on a resident’s feet when he was brought to a hospital for treatment of chest pains.

Police Lt. Doug Nolte told The Wichita Eagle that the 67-year-old man told police he was being mistreated at Deseret HealthCare and Rehabilitation center. Doctors at Via Christi Hospital contacted police after the man was brought to the hospital Tuesday night.

The nursing home’s administrator, Melisa Lang, said federal privacy laws prevent the company from discussing specific patients.

“However, we are taking these allegations seriously,” she said. “We are currently investigating the situation and fully cooperating with the proper agencies.”

The Kansas Department on Aging is aware of the incident and will be investigating, spokeswoman Sara Arif said. The department, which oversees nursing homes in the state, conducts annual inspections of facilities and has the authority to fine or penalize those that don’t meet state standards.

Mitzi McFatrich, executive director of Kansas Advocates for Better Care, which monitors nursing homes, said the Deseret nursing home has a poor record. McFatrich said inspectors found 25 violations in April, well above the statewide average of 11 and the national average of eight.

In a December 2009 inspection, the Department on Aging found 24 deficiencies, and a December 2008 inspection turned up 47 at the home, which is licensed for 93 beds and had 88 residents in April.

“There are a number of things that suggest that this is a facility that’s having some challenges,” McFatrich said.

The April inspection cited such physical violations as a rusty floor vent and nonfunctioning call light. Inspectors also found one resident whose toenails had grown an inch from the tip of his toes, and another in a bed with urine-soaked sheets.

McFatrich said 28,000 people reside in adult care facilities in Kansas.