The resident leaders of a Woodfin assisted living facility cited for multiple health and safety violations in 2024 say they see improvements and are confident in the leadership of a new management team.

“People are getting better training, there are better procedures, people are being more accountable, and so we feel very optimistic about the future here,” said Marilyn Huff, president of the Assisted Living Council at Harmony at Reynolds Mountain.

As Asheville Watchdog reported last month, Harmony has a rating of zero stars out of four, down from its previous three-star rating, based on three inspections by state and county regulators last year.

Harmony was cited for failing to call 911 for a resident who choked twice and subsequently died, for not supervising or discharging an aggressive resident who physically assaulted other residents and staff for more than two months, and for administering medications late or not at all, according to inspection records.

The facility resolved its most serious violations as of November, and in early December the state lifted a suspension of admissions, citing “progress towards substantial compliance” with regulations. Harmony has paid a $12,000 penalty imposed by the state, and three others totaling $21,000 are under appeal.

“Obviously, some very sad things have happened, and we have been short-staffed, and that’s been difficult,” said Huff, 85, who has lived at Harmony for nearly two years. “But we’re in a new time now.”

New management, ‘outstanding team’

The executive director, Jamie Bowden, arrived in October and is  “developing an outstanding team of managers,” said Huff, a retired consultant and trainer in organizational and leadership development.

Bowden “has the skills, the perspective, the experience outside from another situation in long-term health care, and she has the gumption to do her job,” Huff said. “She’s not afraid of letting people go if they’re not able to do the work here.”

Harmony has had a “revolving door” of executive directors, about 12 in the eight years since it opened, Huff said.

Ron Stephenson, a two-year resident and president of the Independent Living Council at Harmony, said of the executive director who was there when he arrived, “I think I saw her face one time. She didn’t come out of her office.”

Stephenson, 84 and a retired university professor, said he’s impressed with Bowden and the current management team and their responsiveness to residents’ concerns.

In a statement to The Watchdog, Harmony said it “appreciates the trust of our valued residents and families. We remain steadfastly committed to continuing to provide quality service to current and future residents in our safe, friendly, and supportive environment.”

Harmony provides assisted living and memory care, which were the subject of the 2024 inspections, and independent living, which is unregulated.

Run by the family-owned Harmony Senior Services started by James R. Smith, a senior housing developer in Roanoke, Virginia, the Asheville area location is one of 45 in 12 states.

Stephenson said he and his wife pay just over $9,000 a month for their two-bedroom independent living apartment at Harmony. Huff declined to provide the cost of her assisted living apartment; the family of the woman who died from choking previously told The Watchdog her apartment in memory care cost $9,200 a month.

Of the 63 licensed adult care homes and assisted living facilities in Buncombe County, Harmony is one of five with zero stars.

Inspection findings alarm some residents, families

State inspectors found Harmony failed to call 911 as required by policy when a resident choked, turned blue, and lost consciousness in July. She choked again three days later, and Harmony again failed to call 911, according to the inspection report. The resident died that evening of complications from choking.

Harmony was cited in April, August and November for failing to administer medications as prescribed to residents with conditions including diabetes, high blood pressure, and Parkinson’s disease, in some cases resulting in worsened symptoms, inspectors found.

Bob Flora, an assisted living resident at Harmony, told The Watchdog he was interviewed by regulators last year and described to them “haphazard” administration of his medications, including late and skipped doses. He said medication administration has significantly improved since Bowden arrived last fall.

“After a few weeks, they were following pretty much to the letter the rules that were in place for giving out medications,” Flora said.

“I want to see the place shaped up and running smoothly, and I think it’s headed in that direction, but there’s turnover still,” he said. “They’re short-handed, and they have to use agency people.”

Flora said it’s difficult to develop a connection with temporary workers.

Huff said of the temporary agency staff, “some are very good, and some are not.”

The Watchdog’s reporting of the state inspection findings alarmed some residents and their families, Huff said.

“A new person who just moved in said it scared him, but he’s settling in,” she said. “I think most of the people who live here are glad to be here and are doing well.”

Exemplary storm response, residents optimistic

Huff and Stephenson said Harmony administrators now meet regularly with the resident councils and resolve their concerns. 

Bowden hired an experienced registered nurse health care director and a director of memory care, who “have worked diligently to comply with state identified deficiencies in care,” they wrote in an email to The Watchdog. 

How to check out an ALF

Visit the state’s licensure page and search by county or facility name. Click on the facility to view inspection reports, star ratings and penalties.

They said that following Tropical Storm Helene on Sept. 27, Harmony sent assistance and corporate staff. Residents received three hot meals a day, the business manager cleaned out their refrigerators, and staff came around twice a day to flush toilets, they said.

“We like to argue that we were literally the best-cared-for people in Buncombe County,” Stephenson said.

Huff said she’s encouraged by the most recent state inspection in January that found just one issue – a resident not receiving a vitamin supplement as ordered. Harmony remained out of compliance for medication administration but at a level no longer considered a violation.

“The important thing to me is that the new leadership, both the corporate leadership and the local leadership, are on top of it,” Huff said. “Serious changes needed to be made and they are making them.”

She said she and Stephenson “understand what’s happened, but we feel good about where we are and where we’re going, and we’re glad to be here.”

Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Sally Kestin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter. Email skestin@avlwatchdog.org. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

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