MIDVALE, Utah — “Quite honestly, I feel disgusted," said a woman who identified herself as Celeste to FOX 13 on Wednesday night. Celeste says her brother-in-law had been transferred from Highland Ridge Hospital to Evergreen Place in Midvale on January 3, 2022.
Evergreen Place on 7800 S was the subject of a large-scale raid from law enforcement, hazmat, social workers and local health officials on Wednesday, where 16 residents were removed with their belongings. An investigation is underway into the living conditions inside of the facility.
“We’ve had a really hard time in the past finding places that would take him because he’s not quite yet 55," said Celeste of her brother-in-law who suffers from multiple mental illnesses and type-2 diabetes.
Celeste said that she had done her homework on Evergreen Place but realized most of the internet searches take you to a national chain of assisted living facilities and says this one in Midvale was tough to find.
She also felt suspicious when they asked for payment via PayPal versus taking a credit card. Celeste paid $1,400 and says that most of the residents who were living there were paying with money from social security or by other means of assistance.
Celeste's brother-in-law lived in conditions that didn't have working heat from when he moved in. When she visited the location on January 7, 2022, the furnace was turned off and there was raw sewage present in the facility.
“Ran down a space heater for him and went there with my spouse and I was absolutely appalled," said Celeste. “There was no one there, it was supposed to be manned 24/7, it was supposed to be a licensed nursing or assisted living facility.”
Celeste was escorted into the facility by a Unified Police Officer. She says that no one was at the facility supervising with at least 16 residents who were sent to the facility in the first place due to having a variety of mental health issues.
“There wasn’t anyone to meet us there, there were no locks on the doors, if you go down there at night there’s no lighting in the parking lot, the porch light doesn’t work, my brother-in-law didn’t even have a light bulb in his room," said Celeste. “When I went there, it was just the most disgusting horrible place that I can’t even imagine having to live there.”
Celeste says that her brother-in-law has found a new assisted living facility for care, but her concern is with the individuals who were displaced on Wednesday.
