Assisted living facility ordered to close after residents found locked inside

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS/Gray News) - An assisted living facility in South Carolina was ordered to close after it was revealed during an investigation that they were in violation of at least 19 facility codes.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health issued an emergency license suspension to J C Laraes Southwinds Assisted Living Community in Ridgeway.

According to the department, an inspection on Tuesday determined that conditions at the facility “posed an immediate threat to the health, safety and welfare of the residents.”

Documents obtained by WIS show the department initially received a complaint from someone with a relative at the facility. The caller claimed the entire staff and the facility administrator were all fired on Monday.

The department’s inspectors noted that locks on the doors in both the men’s and women’s buildings prevented residents from leaving and put them at high risk in the event of a fire.

“Three of the exits in the women’s building had baby safety door knob covers, door chain locks, swing bar door guards with balls, and door alarms,” the inspectors’ report said. “Two of the exits in the men’s building had door chain locks.”

The department said three residents were found to have been left unsupervised in the unauthorized men’s building from Monday night to Tuesday morning.

No staff were present in the women’s building, which housed five residents, when the investigation began. A staff member only appeared after an inspector managed to open a door to the building, which triggered an alarm.

Investigators also discovered that multiple records were missing or had not been updated. Three residents were missing medication administration records, and two had outdated or non-current annual physical exams on file.

Observation notes for all residents for 2025 were not available for review, and all but one resident had no individual care plan.

Documents stated that from 8 p.m. on Monday until around noon on Tuesday, more than 65 doses that needed to be administered to residents went unrecorded, although staff said they gave them out.

A review of staff records showed one employee had not received basic training, such as first aid, medication management, special care, CPR, and fire response, since Jan. 7, 2013.

One of the residents also reportedly appeared to need more than the level of care than the facility was able to provide.

The South Carolina Department of Public Health said the facility could potentially be subject to additional federal and state laws.

“Our ultimate goal is for all of our state’s long-term care facilities to operate in accordance with these laws and regulations, which exist to establish safe standards for protecting the health of the residents they care for, as well as their staff,” said Gwen Thompson, the director of healthcare quality for the department. “If a facility creates a dangerous living condition, we will take immediate and decisive actions to protect residents, who are always our top priority.”

The department said impacted residents were able to be successfully relocated.

Anyone who suspects wrongdoing or unsafe conditions at any state long-term care facilities can submit a complaint form here or call the DPH at 1-800-922-6735.

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