Family members say residents housed at Colorado Springs nursing home have been evacuated

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Family members of a Colorado Springs elderly man tell KRDO13 he has been evacuated from the Kiowa Hills Health and Rehabilitation facility over health concerns within the facility.

Amy Fairweather has been housing her father at Kiowa Hills Health and Rehabilitation for a long time. This week, Fairweather says she got a text from her sister that they had to move her dad quickly from the facility.

"Just the idea of being moved at that age and like just so suddenly the idea of like losing your memories, I just don't understand it," Fairweather said.

Fairweather says they also received notifications that the Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE) wanted all of the personal belongings of the patients living there destroyed.

CDPHE later clarified that the residents were asked to leave their belongings at the facility so that they could be properly cleaned.

"For anyone that is traumatic, for someone who is aided ... their mementos, their photos are like so, so important," Fairweather said.

For now, her father has been moved to Denver, making it a two-hour drive one way to go visit him for her sister who lives in Colorado Springs.

"It's hard enough to find, you know, long-term care. So, I can sort of understand that, they had to go far afield, but that's not acceptable ... beyond attempting a very temporary fix," Fairweather said.

KRDO13 reached out to Kiowa Hills Health and Rehabilitation Facility for more information on the reasons for the closure.

On Sunday afternoon, they issued the following statement:

Kiowa Hills Health and Rehabilitation has identified asbestos onsite during construction at the community. As the safety and well-being of our residents is our top priority, under the direction of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), Kiowa Hills has coordinated with 3 neighboring communities in Colorado Springs, one in Pueblo and one in Denver to accept and care for Kiowa’s 51 residents while an asbestos abatement company completes the necessary extraction.

Laura DePauw, CEO Kiowa Hills Health and Rehabilitation

KRDO13 also reached out to the Colorado Department of Health for more information. We are still awaiting their response.