Garnerville adult home shut down by state, West Haverstraw after slew of violations found
WEST HAVERSTRAW - The state revoked the license of Garnerville Home For Adults, an adult care facility in the village, and West Haverstraw's building inspector has yanked the building's certificate of occupancy after 41 health and safety violations were found this year, many repeat issues uncovered in past yearly inspections.
"They had exits not compliant, egress stairwells rotted away, there was smoking in rooms ... faulty fire alarms," building inspector Fred Viohl said Wednesday of a Sept. 19 visit, one in a series of problematic inspections he said he had done at the facility over the years.
The village has to give them time to "cure" the problems in a timely fashion, Viohl said, but the property had reached a threshold, and he remained concerned about residents' and first responders' safety. "Deplorable conditions ... It’s a chain event that doesn’t end."
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Viohl said when weighing concerns about residents of the adult home he recalled a tragedy that occurred at a similar facility two years ago in Spring Valley: the Evergreen Court fire that killed a volunteer firefighter and resident and left more than 100 residents temporarily homeless.
"This is probably the next Evergreen," he said. "But we nipped it in the bud."
What is an adult home?
The facility provides residential services to adults who are substantially unable to live independently due to physical, mental, or other limitations associated with age or other factors.
The homes have to be licensed by the state and often provide shelter and other services for people who receive Medicaid.
The state Department of Health move to revoke the license takes effect Thursday, Viohl said. The loss of the license means the current owner cannot continue operating the facility.
Who owns Garnerville Home?
The owner is listed on documents as Garnerville HFA Operation & Management, LLC. Viohl said that has been the name he's seen on paperwork for several years now.
A man identified as the facility manager was on site Wednesday and repeatedly declined to comment as village and Rockland County health officials surveyed the facility, which includes two separate buildings.
The village's decision to rescind the certificate of occupancy means no one can use the building until it's properly repaired.
"I’m happy that we did it," Viohl said. "It’s been a long time coming."
Where will residents go?
Garnerville Home has a 39-person capacity. On Wednesday afternoon, residents sat outside, many seeking shade under trees as temperatures climbed past 80 degrees.
The manager declined to say if the LLC that owns the site operated other locations, or how or where residents would be placed.
Janice Pestrak had come to visit her brother, John Pestrak, who has lived at Garnerville Home for the past seven years. An Ocean County, New Jersey, resident, Pestrak said she was concerned her brother would be moved farther north. But, she said, the facility has been in bad shape for a while and she understood why the village and state took action.
John Pestrak, who lives with health challenges including schizophrenia, seemed to be accepting that he would have to move, Janice Pestrak said.
"Mom died years ago and I made a promise to watch out for him," Pestrak said.
A spokesperson for the state Department of Health said they were working to ensure all residents are transferred to safe locations, "consistent with their needs and preferences."
The state declined to comment further, citing the ongoing investigation.
What state, village found
During a visit to the home on Wednesday, fire trucks were there to check out a false alarm, the third in about a week and a half, Viohl said.
Rooms and bathrooms were unkempt; water, an inch deep in some places, was seen in one building's basement. According to Viohl, fire doors and staircases and doors leading in and out of the building weren't in compliance; fire escapes hadn't been certified in a timely fashion; residents were smoking in non-designated areas, including beside a wood building.
State Department of Health records show a total of 112 violations resulted from 22 inspections of this facility from April 1, 2019 through March 31, 2023. The state DOH inspection report that village officials said took place last week was not yet available from the state. The last posted inspection by the state, on Jan. 17, found no violations.
Viohl said he and state officials discussed concerns about residents' medication. "The residents here just didn't seem right," he said.
Past adult home problems in Rockland
After Evergreen Court Adult Home was destroyed by a fire in March 2021, residents were moved to other facilities in the region that were also owned by the Schoenberger family of Monsey and Lakewood, New Jersey.
A number of residents went to New Golden Acres Adult Home, just blocks away in Spring Valley.
Golden Acres: State closing violation-riddled adult home; owners want to rebuild Evergreen
Subsequently, the state closed the 79-bed New Golden Acres in January after amid violations were found there, including vermin, poor care and maintenance issues.
"That’s exactly why I was very aggressive on it in the last several months," Viohl said, citing Evergreen and Golden Acres. "Now people are going to be safe.
Nancy Cutler covers People & Policy for lohud.com and the USA Today Network New York. Reach her at ncutler@lohud.com.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Garnerville Home for Adults found with safety violations, shut by NY
