Carlson Place, a care facility in Norwalk, was ordered to relocate all residents after a state investigation found nearly two dozen public health law violations found. The list included insufficient food supplies, “heavily soiled” bathrooms and live bed bugs.
The attorney general said Thursday that a new buyer has been found for the facility and that all residents will be moved out of the building for a full renovation.
In an emergency ordinance issued on June 8, state investigators listed a long list of complaints against the 29-bed house. In addition to an inadequate food supply, the Department of Health said Carlson Place had failed to ensure adequate serving size and nutritional value to residents.
In addition, DPH officials, who conducted inspections from late April to early June, said the facility was insufficiently staffed to meet residents’ daily care and medication needs.
The facility’s listed administrator Diane Mortali did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday morning.
The nursing homes licensed by the Ministry of Health offer residents a furnished single or double room and common areas. They are supposed to provide residents with three meals a day and some limited personal services.
At the time of the emergency ordinance, 27 people were living on Carlson Place, according to DPH. State officials said everyone was eligible to move to the nearby Westport Rehabilitation Complex.
A resident had already moved out on Wednesday.
A spokesman for Attorney General William Tong said in a press release Thursday that “a buyer has been identified who has agreed to buy and renovate Carlson Place at their own expense”.
Tong’s office announced that the state had agreed with the new owner, Dr. Syed Reza, has entered into a pre-licensing agreement and that the order includes major renovations that must be completed before a license can be granted.
“Once that license is granted, former residents of Carlson Place will have the opportunity to return home safely,” Tong’s office said in a statement emailed.
DPH’s June ordinance contained a long list of health violations that directly impacted the daily lives of the people at Carlson Place.
The bathrooms were missing light covers, the entire furnishings were missing or bent floor tiles, chests of drawers in the resident’s rooms were broken or there were missing drawers and furniture in the lounge and the TV area of the center was according to the report broken and dirty.
“The bathrooms throughout the facility are badly soiled and dilapidated,” the report said. “Numerous ceiling tiles were wet, stained and had fallen to the floor due to moisture penetration.”
DPH officials wrote that mattresses were “cracked and dirty” and that “live bed bugs were found on the mattresses”.
As a result of the June 8 order, Carlson Place must suspend new admissions, provide state officials with daily meal plans and menus until all patients are discharged, and grant qualified inspectors immediate access to the building.
The state’s lawyer for residents of long-term care facilities praised the efforts to protect the residents of the facilities.
“I was delighted to hear that there is a potential opportunity for residents to return to their homes in significantly improved circumstances,” said Mairead Painter, the state ombudsman for long-term care, in a statement emailed. “The previous conditions were totally unacceptable and maintaining high quality homes should always be our priority.”
