Health leaders deal with aftermath of sudden assisted living facility closure

MOUNTAIN CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Nearly 20 residents are without permanent homes after the abrupt closure of Sunset Gardens Assisted Living Facility in Mountain City.

Both Sullivan County Emergency Management Director Jason Blevins and District Ombudsman for the First Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability Karrie Erick told News Channel 11 they had been alerted about the closure.

Barbara Dunn, the sister of a former resident, also confirmed she’d received a call from the facility off US-421 in Mountain City. She said the facility called her around 3 p.m. on Wednesday to warn her that the facility might close.

About 30 minutes later, Dunn said, she received a call notifying her that Sunset Gardens had closed and that she could either take her brother home or have him transported to the hospital.

Johnson County Community Hospital Administrator Chastity Trivette said she received notification of the closure around that same time. She and her colleagues began working to find beds for those patients in emergency rooms across the health system.

“In my 26 years of my career, I have not known of that happening,” Trivette said. “That is a very rare situation that that would occur for those residents. “

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed Thursday morning it was investigating a facility in Johnson County; however, the TBI did not name the facility.

Trivette said residents who didn’t go home with their families are staying in emergency room beds across the health system while they wait for more permanent homes.

“Caseworkers worked throughout the night and are continuing to work through today,” Trivette said on Thursday. “We have had several administrators from assisted living facilities reach out to us this morning telling us their beds are available for these patients, and our case managers are actively working to get these patients placed.”

Erick, the First Tennessee Area Agency on Aging and Disability’s Ombudsman, said she is scheduled to join a call Friday morning alongside Ballad Health and members of the Tennessee Health Facilities Commission to make a game plan for finding residents’ new homes.

“The goal would be to try and place them in our district, assuming they want to stay in the area,” Erick said.

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