The Hidden Treasures Residential Living facility in Stuarts Draft closed on Jan. 16, following the administrator’s voluntary surrender of her license to operate by the Virginia Department of Social Services, and suspension of licensure by the Department of Health Professions, which regulates licensed health practitioners in Virginia.
We were able to confirm this after initially being made aware of the closure of the 16-bed facility by a family member of a resident earlier this week.
The family member described a disturbing scene at the facility – “no usable oven, no food, no heat, no med tech.”
The woman told AFP that she was called “at 3 p.m. on Jan. 16 to pick up our mother because they were evacuating the assisted living home.”
A week earlier, on Jan. 9, the administrator at Hidden Treasures, Cassie Montgomery, had her license to practice as a medication aide suspended by the Virginia Board of Nursing, upon a finding that she had “violated certain laws and/or regulations relating to the practice of medication aides.”
“The Board concludes that a substantial danger to public health or safety” warranted a suspension of Montgomery’s license to practice as a medication aide.”
According to the “order of summary suspension” issued by the Board of Nursing, Montgomery is scheduled to go before the Board on May 20 for a formal administrative hearing.
We haven’t been able to ascertain what happened in the week between the Jan. 9 Board of Nursing order suspending Montgomery’s license and the Jan. 16 closure of the Hidden Treasures facility.
The family member who reached out to us earlier this week described the closure as an “evacuation.”
A DSS spokesperson used similar language:
“Coordinated emergency efforts were activated involving the local Department of Social Services, Adult Protective Services and the Virginia Department of Social Services. This joint response focused on ensuring residents were safely relocated, continuity of care was maintained, and individual needs were addressed as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.
More from the DSS statement:
“Our priority throughout this process was the well-being of residents. Staff worked closely with partners to assess needs, arrange appropriate placements, and support residents and their families during the transition.
“Because the license to operate has been surrendered, the facility is considered closed and is no longer permitted to provide assisted living services.
“Upon surrender of the license, the facility was no longer authorized to provide care, which required immediate action and emergency placement to protect the health and safety of residents.”
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Chris Graham
