COLUMBIA, S.C. — Two assisted living facilities in Columbia have been cited by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) as posing an immediate threat to the health, safety, and welfare of the residents who live at them.
Reese's Community Care Home 1 at 1203 Muller Ave., and Reese's Community Care Home 2 at 717 Cindy Dr., both in Columbia, have been issued emergency suspension orders after DHEC staff conducted an inspection on the facilities on Dec. 8-9 and Dec. 12 and found the following violations:
- insect infestations, including bed bugs and roaches
- failure to properly administer residents’ medications
- insufficient food provided and unsanitary kitchens
Residents who had been living at the facilities -- mainly senior citizens -- have been relocated with the assistance of local and state authorities. The residents' families have been notified and local officials -- including the S.C. Office of Ombudsman, the S.C. Department of Social Services, the S.C. Department of Mental Health, and the S.C. Department of Health and Human Services -- are continuing to work with the families.
DHEC's report describes the findings in part: "The Facility was in deplorable condition. Bed bugs and roaches were throughout the Facility and on residents. Traces of insect residue and attempts to treat the insects were throughout the Facility. The interior and exterior of the Facility was unclean and cluttered. The Facility's food supply was insufficient in terms of quality and quantity. Furthermore, residents had not been administered medications ordered by physicians and/or authorized healthcare providers. The lone staff member present at the Facility had inadequate training, was unable to render care/services to the residents, and failed to demonstrate working knowledge of the appropriate regulation."
The full report is attached below:
DHEC also cited Bowles Community Care Home No. 1 and No. 2 of Charleston County, administering emergency suspension orders against those facilities as well. The McClellanville assisted living facilities had violations including:
- no staff at the facility, meaning residents were being deprived of care, supervision, and services for an extended period of time
- the kitchen was padlocked, meaning residents didn’t have an available supply of food
- it could not be determined when the residents last ate and when medications were administered
- additionally, at Bowles Community Care Home No. 2:
- the facility was without working heat and indoor temperatures were between 50-60 degrees
- medications were accessible and not properly secured
Gwen Thompson, DHEC’s Director of Healthcare Quality, said, “It is the responsibility of community residential care facilities to operate in compliance with all applicable laws. Our ultimate goal is for all of our state’s community residential care facilities to operate in accordance with these laws, which exist to establish standards for protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the residents they care for. If a facility creates a dangerous living condition, we will take immediate and decisive actions to protect residents, who are always our top priority.”
DHEC regulates South Carolina’s community residential care facilities (also known as assisted living facilities) to ensure they provide quality care to their residents as required by law and regulation. The agency routinely monitors the compliance of these facilities through inspections, incident reporting, and complaint investigations.
DHEC encourages the public to use an online complaint form if they suspect any type of wrongdoing at a healthcare facility or service regulated by DHEC. Anyone unable to submit a health facility complaint online can call DHEC at 1-800-922-6735 and indicate that they wish to file a complaint against a health facility or service, and DHEC will follow up as needed.