Temporary closure of Fayetteville veterans home sparks concerns. Where will residents will go?

A local state representative and a family member are concerned that 85 residents have to move out of the North Carolina State Veterans Home at Fayetteville by February.

A letter provided to The Fayetteville Observer by a family member of a resident stated that the North Carolina Department of Military Veterans made the decision to "temporarily cease operations" at the Fayetteville facility at 214 Cochran Ave.

The letter was sent to residents and their family members from the home’s provider, PruittHealth.

The North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs oversees the Fayetteville facility and four other veteran homes in Black Mountain, Kernersville, Kinston and Salisbury.

“As you are likely aware, the building and facilities need ongoing repair, and the NC DMVA has determined it is in the best interest of the health and well-being of the veterans to temporarily relocate all residents to other facilities,” the letter sent to residents and their families from Whitney Bell and Kweilin Belitsos, the Fayetteville home’s administrators, stated.

The letter did not specify what repairs are needed or what possible issues may be in the facility.

On Monday, PruittHealth directed questions on the closure of the facility to the North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

Dwight Collins, a spokesman for the DMVA, said the agency is assessing needed structural repairs and maintenance to the facility.

He said the agency’s secretary, retired Marine Lt. Gen. Walter Gaskin, met with residents and families last week to “discuss the process and plans to ensure continued housing and continuity of care for residents.”

“Leaving the Fayetteville community or disrupting the continuity of care for the residents at the Fayetteville Veterans Home is not under consideration,” Collins said.

According to the letter, the agency plans to build a new, modern facility, which is expected to take at least two years to complete.

It is not clear why residents will need to move from the existing facility while a new one is built.

Inspections

Kelly Haight Connor, a spokeswoman for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said DHHS’ Nursing Home Licensure and Certification section conducts routine inspections as well as inspections based on complaints at facilities.

“Complaints …. are confidential and we can’t comment on complaints, investigations or possible investigations,” Connor said. “All complaints are carefully reviewed and triaged for appropriate follow-up.”

Findings from the complaints are posted to the agency’s website and note prior deficiencies at the Fayetteville facility tied to care and most recently an alleged sexual assault between two patients in July, but does not include reports about inspection of the physical quality of the facility.

Who's being affected?

Rep. Charles Smith, one of Cumberland County’s representatives in the North Carolina General Assembly, said he learned about the move in an email from the DMVA’s legislative liaison, Joseph Wescott, last week.

The email, Smith said, mentioned that 85 residents would be affected.

Smith said that in a phone call with Wescott, Wescott told him the cost of repairs for the facility would be steep and that “issues they were having would continue to reemerge.”

Smith said he’s not certain what the issues are, but speculated that the land, which was previously federal and given to the state, may not be “as desirable” and that it sounded like there might be issues with the facility’s foundation.

The Fayetteville facility, Smith said, is the oldest of the state’s veterans homes.

According to Cumberland County property records, the land was deeded to the state in 1995, and the structure was built in 1999 and had depreciated in value by about $1.17 million.

A family member of a resident who asked that he not be identified because he doesn’t want to jeopardize his family member’s care said Monday he doesn't know why residents are being moved.

The family member said he was told that PruittHealth would relocate residents, but employees at the facility and state officials he contacted for information would not comment on why residents have to be moved while a new facility is built.

“It makes you wonder by their reluctance to even comment,” he said.

Smith said he was told that the new facility would allow veterans to have individual rooms compared to the current facility, which has two veterans per room.

“If it were something that were a health risk, I think there would be more urgency,” Rep. Smith said Monday. "The important thing to me is to make sure that care is not disrupted or what would happen to residents who don’t want to move to (another veteran home further away).”

Smith said he was told that residents have the option of moving to one of the state’s other veterans homes, or that PruittHealth would help find a local care facility for residents wanting to remain closer to the Cumberland County area.

According to the letter, residents are expected to be relocated by Feb. 1, and PruittHealth will work with veterans and their families to find accommodations at other healthcare centers or another North Carolina veterans home.

“Over the next several weeks, our teams will personally meet with families to discuss each veteran/resident’s specific situation and help them identify and understand their options,” the letter stated.

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-496-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville veterans home to close for at least 2 years