Dozens of elderly residents of a Tampa nursing home could be forced to move in less than a month because of something completely out of their control.
Supporters of the University of Village are pleading to keep the facility open.
It’s a confusing time for Diane Dunn.
“I just heard it through the grapevine,” the resident said.
The assisted living facility she calls home is in on the verge of closing and she’s not really sure why.
“I still don’t understand. Negotiations, management. All these words are thrown at you,” she said.
Jeanette McGillivray said all the patients are in the dark about what’s happening at University Village Nursing Center.
“I know that everyone is upset about this. And no one seems to know anything,” she said.
Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration gave the Tampa facility an order to discharge all its patients and transfer them because of on going issues involving mismanagement and financial problems.
“The thought of moving all of these people into some other facility and where? I couldn’t imagine. This is a big place,” said McGillivray.
Caretakers at University Village don’t want to see this place close.
Some say they’ve been dealing with uncertainty for months, and have even had paychecks that didn’t clear.
“It bothers me so bad until I want to cry. I come in in the morning and see my residents looking so down harden,” said certified nursing assistant Brenda Young.
The ownership group lost it’s nursing license over all the problems.
But those living and working here want to see another management group given control instead of closing University Village altogether.
“Who wants to move at the age of 80 and 90 and 100 years old. Who wants to move when they came here, there lives were to be taken care of. This is where I’m going to spend the rest of my days,” said Young, who has worked there for 24 years.
A group of supporters are taking their pleas to keep University Village open to Tallahassee tomorrow, hoping state officials will listen.
They had set a closing date of September 3rd.
