St. Louis, MO - In a shocking turn of events, the largest skilled nursing facility in St. Louis, Northview Village Nursing Home, abruptly shut down, leaving around 170 residents in a state of confusion and displacement. On Friday, workers at the facility discovered they might not receive their salaries and subsequently walked out, leaving families and residents unsure of their next steps.

The closure of Northview Village Nursing Home resulted in the sudden transfer of residents to other care centers, with many being bused away from the facility without any personal belongings except for the clothes they were wearing. Distraught family members gathered outside the nursing home, desperately looking for information about their loved ones' whereabouts.

One concerned parent, Alvin Cooper of East St. Louis, Illinois, expressed his anguish as he prepared to file a missing person's report for his 35-year-old son, Alvin Cooper Jr., who had been residing at Northview Village while recovering from a gunshot wound to the head and battling drug addiction.

The troubles began on Friday when over 130 employees were reportedly not paid, raising doubts about the future of their pending salaries. Although the workers received emails from the company promising eventual payment, uncertainty loomed over the timeline.

Marvetta Harrison, a certified medical technician who had worked at Northview Village for 37 years, voiced her frustration, stating, "This is real wrong. Not only did they mistreat us, but they also mistreated the residents we take care of."

The shutdown of Northview Village Nursing Home comes with a history of federal violations and fines. Since March 2021, the facility has been fined 12 times by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, with fines amounting to over $140,000. The reasons for these fines were not specified. The facility's one-star rating out of five from the federal agency further highlights its ongoing issues.

Additionally, State Health Department records reveal nearly two dozen investigations into Northview Village since 2016. Recent complaints have included instances of residents leaving the nursing home through unsecured doors and allegations of drug trafficking within the facility.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services was notified of the nursing home's closure on Friday afternoon. An evacuation plan was swiftly implemented, with the help of emergency medical service workers, to relocate the residents to other nursing homes. Lisa Cox, a spokesperson for the department, confirmed that the final resident was moved from the facility before 6 a.m. on Saturday.

However, the transfer process faced challenges, as some residents arrived at their new care centers without the necessary medical documents or information about their medication needs.

Phone calls to Northview Village and its owner, Healthcare Accounting Services, went unanswered, further adding to the confusion surrounding the sudden closure.

As employees began questioning the delay in their bi-weekly paychecks on Friday, they eventually discovered that no payments were forthcoming. The closure unfolded as employees raised their concerns, highlighting the financial issues plaguing the facility. Lenny Jones, the state director for the Service Employees International Union Healthcare union, representing around 100 of the displaced workers, expressed his belief that the company had planned to shut down the facility.

"They ran out of money to make payroll, caused this massive disruption, and just quickly moved forward with their goal, which was to shutter this facility," Jones stated. "You would have to have been planning to move 175 residents in the dead of night."

With many unanswered questions regarding the future of Northview Village residents and their caregivers, advocacy organizations and government agencies are working diligently to ensure the well-being and care of those affected by this sudden closure.