California

California regulators have revoked the licenses of two assisted living communities and have prohibited their operators from “employment in, presence in, and … contact with clients of any facility licensed by the department” for two years.

The actions against John Habash, chief executive of Mother Marcy Home Care and sister property Mother Marcy Home Care-Chateau, both located in Anaheim, and co-operator Alfred Miaco, came in a Feb. 9 order issued by the California Department of Social Services. Habash and Miaco have admitted to accusations that led to the order, according to the document.

Those accusations included that Habash allowed Miaco to interact with residents routinely despite his felony convictions on grand theft and embezzlement charges. Also, according to the department, Habash evicted a resident without advance notice and left him at a nearby hospital.

The license revocation of Mother Marcy Home Care-Chateau, as well as Habash’s administrator’s certification, will be stayed for up to 120 days to facilitate the possible sale or transfer of the property. Michael Weston, deputy director of public affairs and outreach programs for the California Department of Social Services, told McKnight’s Senior Living that the decision aims to avoid the “transfer trauma” that residents could experience from a quick change in location.

According to an Orange County Register article, the two facilities have accumulated more than 80 citations from state inspectors in the past five years, making them some of the most “violation-ridden” residential care facilities for the elderly in the county.