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PHOTO BY MARK ENGEL
In a ruling handed down Friday afternoon, Administrative Law Judge Charles R. Beaudrot determined that the Georgia Department of Community Affairs did not present enough evidence to warrant closing down Savannah Court at Lake Oconee senior care center in Greensboro.
Last August, the department, which licenses and oversees senior care centers in Georgia, sent a Notice of Intent to Revoke Permit to the Savannah Court facility on Willow Run Road in Greensboro. It was based on eight alleged violations found over two days of inspections on July 31 and Aug. 1.
In his ruling, Beaudrot did identify four of the violations as justified and authorized yet-to-be-determined fines against Florida-based Senior Living Management Inc., the company that manages Savannah Court of Lake Oconee, and three other senior facilities in Georgia.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution broke the story on Jan. 3 with an investigative report that said in the 3.5 years since Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a bill supported by elder care advocates and families, Savannah Court has been inspected “at least 16 times with 76 violations flagged.”
Violations, according to the AJC, ranged from “smaller scale infractions like lack of nutritional snacks and failure to properly store cleaning supplies…to finally serious and imminent threats.”
The newspaper questioned whether or not the new law was being strictly enforced. Three hearings were held in January and final briefs were filed with the court in March.
During that time, the management company has held at least two meetings with residents and their families. The company has promised changes including better food, wearable alert devices that work, and a more accountable on-site manager.
Families have been worrying about whether the center would close, forcing them to find comparable facilities, which are scarce in the Lake Country or priced higher than they can afford.
Near the end of the 50-page ruling, Beaudrot cited that as a factor in his decision.
“This court has received communications from current Savannah Court residents and family members,” he wrote, ”expressing concerns as to the significant adverse consequences any revocation (and resulting closure) would have on residents and their respective families.”
Later adding, “The Department has failed to show by a preponderance of the evidence that any of the eight alleged infractions identified in the Department’s two letters dated August 17, 2023, can serve as basis for revocation of Petitioner’s permit.”