An assisted-living facility in Steele Creek is prohibited from accepting new residents and could lose its license. That comes amid allegations of neglect and exploitation at the facility.
It’s a story the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter is following. And the Ledger’s Tony Mecia joins me now with more for our segment BizWorthy.
Marshall Terry: So what facility is this? And what’s going on here with these allegations?
Tony Mecia: So, Marshall, we're talking about an assisted-living facility called Wickshire Steele Creek. It’s on South Tryon Street, it has 90 beds, and it provides assisted living and memory care services.
State regulators, they've been taking a close look at Wickshire for the last several months. In a report last fall, the state barred the facility from accepting new residents after they found that workers there didn't have enough training and failed to test some new residents for tuberculosis as required, and they found violations that the state said were “detrimental to the health and safety of the residents.” Then in January, the state followed up, filed a notice saying it was seeking to revoke Wickshire’s license.
Then in February, another report found that an employee there had been engaging in inappropriate sexual contact with residents and, in some cases, staff was not following doctor's orders, and it concluded that there was “serious neglect and exploitation,” and it sounds like there's going to be more to come on this from the state.
The facility still has its license, and it's appealing the state’s findings, and there's a hearing in July.
Terry: Now, how is Wickshire responding to all of this other than appealing?
Mecia: Well, we initially didn't hear back from Wickshire in response to our questions. But after our story ran in the Charlotte Ledger on Wednesday, Wickshire sent a statement and said it is “steadfast in delivering quality care and services, and it said “it has an unwavering commitment to upholding regulatory standards.” It said it has “implemented improvements,” although the statement from the company did not provide details.
Terry: Now, we know that the pandemic strained nursing homes and health care systems, and that there are still big employee shortages, and other challenges. How does all of this fit with the bigger picture for assisted-living facilities?
Mecia: I would say, generally, as we've discussed, a lot of industries are having a hard time finding workers. Nursing homes and other places do use contract workers from outside companies on a pretty regular basis. It's tough to know how much of a factor that is in this situation. But I would just say, generally, finding qualified workers is a challenge for a lot of employers.
Terry: Shifting gears, you report a movie is in production about one of Charlotte’s most notorious criminals, the so-called “Roofman.” I just vaguely remember this, so remind me who this person was.
Mecia: In 2004, there was an Army paratrooper named Jeffrey Manchester, who was charged in Belmont with going into a McDonald's through the roof — [he would] cut a hole in the roof [and] would go through and stick up fast-food restaurants. He was alleged to have done this on the West Coast a bunch. They finally caught him in Belmont. He escaped from prison, and while on the run, he pulled up in his hideout, which was an abandoned Circuit City on Independence Boulevard near Idlewild. He lived in there for a number of months. The police finally caught up with him.
And now there's going to be a movie, according to movie industry publications, starring Channing Tatum as the “Roofman.” And it's got a Charlotte connection. We don't know when the movie’s coming out, but we do know that Manchester is scheduled for release from Raleigh Central Prison in 2036.
Terry: Well, it will be good to see Charlotte on the big screen again. I think the last time was one of those Hallmark Christmas movies a couple years ago.
Mecia: We have quite a range of different kinds of movies coming out about Charlotte, it's true.
Terry: Finally, Greensboro residents say they welcome new industries in their region. But they added they don’t want to be Charlotte. Ouch. What did they mean?
Mecia: The New York Times quoted an official with the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, who was noting that the Greensboro area is receiving a lot of investment from manufacturers, you know, electric vehicle-related types of things, and sort of looked at what that would mean for Greensboro. This official with the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, said, “We don't want to be Charlotte, we want to be the best version of Greensboro.” So they like it in Greensboro, apparently, and don't want to be like us.
Terry: That’s all right. There can’t be another Charlotte, I suppose.
Mecia: We are one of a kind, it’s true, Marshall.
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