The owner of an Alabama assisted living community whose license was recently suspended following a months-old incident hopes its surveillance system will help get the license back.
The Alabama Department of Public Health issued an emergency order on March 18, 2013 to temporarily suspend the license of Sunrise on the Circle, an assisted living community located in Pell City, Ala., reports the local CBS-42.
The order comes after allegations that Sunrise on the Circle had committed extensive violations of the State Board of Health Rules for Assisted Living Facilities, and that the community ‘engaged in conduct and practices that were detrimental to the health and safety of its residents.’
The order also states that Sunrise’s owner and operator, Gayle Sexton, verbally and physically abused an elderly male resident of the facility.
Sexton, who denies the allegations, says the licensure suspension stems from an altercation that happened more than a year ago, when the community had to involuntarily discharge two residents who “were not appropriate for Sunrise,” she told CBS-42.
Family members of the residents became disgruntled, with one even attempting to fight Sexton in her office, she told CBS.
As for the allegations of abuse, Sexton is confident that Sunrise’s camera surveillance system will back up her side of the story.
Currently, Sunrise caters to eleven patients, all of which had to be removed from the assisted living community in 48 hours. One patient was even reported crying when a surveyor came and said she had 48 hours to move, according to Sexton.
A hearing to determine whether Sunrise will see its license permanently revoked has been scheduled for April 29, 2013.
Written by Jason Oliva
