Federal intervention emotional for Campbellsville nursing home residents

CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Some residents of a Campbellsville nursing home will now have to find a new place to live.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) notified The Grandview: A Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Facility that it will not be participating in the Medicare program as of Aug. 12, 2018.

Payment will continue, though, for up to 30 days for patients admitted on or before that day, according to a notice from the federal agency.

CMS reports from 2017 indicate a number of issues have been found, but residents said they don't notice any problems.

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Monday, they gathered in a spot with rocking chairs outside the building, saying even on the hottest days it always has a breeze.

"She just said she's spoiled here," Jennifer Bland, whose grandmother is at the rehab facility, said.

That seemed to be the general consensus of those hanging out Monday.

"They don't give me no hard time," Richard Karnes, a resident, said. "And I don't give them one."

But earlier this month, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) determined caretakers at The Grandview didn't meet health and safety requirements and Medicare services were being taken away.

"What they're doing, investigating this place and accusing them of all this stuff, it just doesn't seem right," Joseph Lee, the family member of a resident, said.

Survey inspections conducted by DHS in 2017 show issues with patient care, including employees taking patients' medication for their own use, the failure to properly report the allegation during the investigation, improper hand washing and other issues.

It's not clear yet whether these inspections led to the agency's decision.

Residents, including resident council president Argerine Kemp, said they've never noticed anything like that.

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"If anybody has any complaints, that's when they get addressed," Kemp said.

Some residents and their family members told me they're afraid the facility will be shut down or they'll have to be relocated.

A CMS statement said patients receiving Medicare and Medicaid will have to be moved to other facilities. It's a thought that brought tears to the eyes of some facing the prospects of leaving a place they call home.

"Eighty-nine members here and they will be looking for another place to stay," Karnes said.

The family members of residents also expressed concern that relocation would make hard to see their loved ones, as there aren't many other facilities nearby.

Grandview is a place some said has also been life saving.

"If it wasn't for this place, I feel like my grandmother would've already passed away," Lee said.

Some residents said their biggest concern right now is a lack of answers, which they hope to get soon.

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