SENIORS ABRUPTLY MOVED FROM FACILITY.Byline: Jesse Hiestand Staff Writer State and county officials abruptly removed 40 senior citizens from an unlicensed residential-care facility Wednesday, in many cases without notifying relatives, who found out from television reports. Ambassador Care Center lost its license Friday, and the California Department of Social Services California Department of Social Services is a single state agency for many of the programs defined as part of the social safety net in the United States. Federal and State funds for adoptions, aid to the disabled, family crisis counseling, subsistence payments to poor decided to remove the residents for their own protection. ``We couldn't notify the public because we were afraid the owners might move the patients to other unlicensed facilities,'' said Douglas Harvey, supervising special investigator with the Social Services social services Noun, pl welfare services provided by local authorities or a state agency for people with particular social needs social services npl → servicios mpl sociales Department's licensing unit. ``The elders were in a place where there were serious health and safety violations,'' Harvey said. Some relatives were shocked to arrive at the facility at 10161 Hillhaven Ave. to find that their loved ones loved ones npl → seres mpl queridos loved ones npl → proches mpl et amis chers loved ones love npl had already been moved. Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County health officials relocated the elderly residents to other care facilities around Los Angeles. Many of the seniors looked bewildered as they were wheeled out on gurneys to vans or waiting ambulances. ``There has to be a more humane way to handle this,'' said Arline De Sanctis, chief field deputy for Los Angeles City Councilman Joel Wachs Joel Wachs served for several terms as Los Angeles City Councilman for the 2nd district. He was first elected by defeating incumbent James B. Potter. While in office, Wachs chaired the Public Works Committee and vice-chair of the Environmental Quality & Waste Management . She said the families should have been given more notice. Harvey said the owners of the care facility have been fighting to keep their license since April, and their latest bid was denied on Friday. In a few cases the state officials were able to notify the families beforehand, he said. ``We notified them where we could,'' said Harvey, adding that officials tried to minimize the trauma on the residents. ``But it's never possible to eliminate it completely,'' he said. ``My golly gol·ly interj. Used to express mild surprise or wonder. [Alteration of God.] golly interj an exclamation of mild surprise [originally a euphemism for sakes, it really is unbelievable,'' said one elderly woman, who used a walker to get to the car. ``It really is unbelievable. If I was (to) tell you what I had to do to myself to stay alive, you wouldn't believe it.'' Her son-in-law was incredulous. ``They said the state inspectors are closing this place, and everyone had to be out by 5 o'clock,'' he told KABC KABC Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (Channel 7) television news. ``So we called over here, got a hold of one of these inspectors, (who) told us exactly that.'' City News Service contributed to this story. |
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