Politicians, Workers Seek Accountability After Closure of St. Louis Nursing Home
ST. LOUIS (NEWSnet/AP) — The operator of a St. Louis nursing home must be held accountable after the facility was closed abruptly, sending 170 residents to other care centers, political leaders and workers said at a rally Tuesday.
Northview Village Nursing Home was closed Dec. 15, with shuttle buses taking residents to more than a dozen other St. Louis-area care centers.
Days later, some relatives still haven’t found where their loved ones were sent, and at least one manager said the Northview Village residents arrived at her nursing home without records or medication lists.
Some of those who spoke at a rally outside the shuttered nursing home said a criminal investigation should be considered.
St. Louis Alderwoman Sharon Tyus urged aldermanic hearings and said she has spoken to the circuit attorney about the possibility of a probe.
Mayor Tishaura Jones said she was appalled by the way residents and workers were treated. About 180 people lost their jobs and still haven’t received their last paycheck.
“Are you angry? Because I’m mad as hell,” Jones said.
Northview Village is St. Louis’ largest nursing home. It is operated by suburban St. Louis-based Healthcare Accounting Services. A person answering the phone said the company declines comment.
Two state senators from St. Louis, Karla May and Steven Roberts, said they’ve reached out to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services to try and make sure that employees are paid and that residents’ rights are protected.
“We cannot put corporate greed over people,” May said.
Shamell King, an assistant manager at Superior Manor, told St. Louis Post-Dispatch that some Northview Village residents arrived there without paperwork documenting medical histories or medication needs.
Marjorie Moore, executive director of VOYCE, a St. Louis agency that serves as an ombudsman for long-term care residents and their families, said her agency is trying to connect some displaced residents with their relatives.
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