At least 100 residents displaced after closure of Union Printers Home
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- At least 100 residents are looking for a new assisted living center after Union Printers Home in Colorado Springs lost its license to operate.
The closure comes after a state investigation found the facility was "unable to maintain compliance with state and federal regulations, resulting in substandard care."
Scott McKinlay, a resident at the facility, says he's frustrated to learn about the closure on such short notice.
"I'm feeling anger because we live here and we should have been given warning," McKinlay said. "I'm an old person. I have epilepsy and I have seizures."
Resident Pat Lyon says she's confident she'll find a new home soon, but hopes others will also find another nursing home.
"Oh yeah it's stressful," she said with a chuckle. "You never know what you're going to get."
KRDO first started looking into the assisted-living center's history after residents reported a 90-year-old woman dying on a bench outside the center last week.
(MORE: State investigating Union Printers Home after elderly woman's death)
Since then, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment revealed there were a series of previous incidents at the facility and investigators are conducting a "thorough investigation of the facility's practices."
Randy Kuykendall, the director of health facilities for CDPHE, says he wants everyone to know that these displaced residents will not be living out on the streets.
"We have done an inventory for the past 40 hours and we believe there are sufficient beds for these residents to be moved safely and comfortably," he said.
Kuykendall says the agency expects all residents to be relocated by March 27. However, they will work with patients and give them a say in where they move.
"I think it's extremely important to understand that the facility will remain open and will remain operational with our oversight until the last resident finds themselves a new home," Kuykendall said.
As for McKinlay, he's hoping the staff at his next home will be a little more personable.
"Spending more personal time with the residents of the facility and trying to have a relationship with the residents rather than just doing their job," McKinlay said.
