DPH Takes Immediate Action at J C Laraes Southwinds Facility to Protect Safety of Residents

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jul. 16, 2025 

COLUMBIA, S.C. ― Yesterday (Tuesday, July 15), the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) took immediate action to issue an emergency license suspension of J C Laraes Southwinds Assisted Living Community, a Community Residential Care Facility (assisted living) in Ridgeway, South Carolina. DPH determined this action was necessary to protect the health and well-being of the facility’s residents, and with the timely assistance of the S.C. Ombudsman’s Office, the S.C. Dept. of Health and Human Services and the S.C. Dept. of Social Services, all residents have successfully been relocated at this time.   

Upon the arrival of DPH inspectors Tuesday, no staff were present in a building with five residents, and residents were locked inside without supervision. There was a second building with an additional three residents, though the facility is only licensed for five residents and one building.  

Locks on the doors prevented residents from leaving, which put them at high risk if there had been a fire. Additionally, at least one of the residents appeared to need more than the level of care the facility was able to provide. 

The owner arrived at the first building from building two only when a DPH employee opened the doors of the first building from the outside and an alarm went off. There had been no staff in the second building for more than 24 hours.  

At that time, DPH staff believed the conditions in the facility posed an immediate threat to the health, safety and welfare of the residents and initiated the recommendation of an emergency suspension of the facility’s license to operate. 

“It is the responsibility of long-term care facilities to operate in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws, regulations, and permits,” said Gwen Thompson, DPH’s Director of Healthcare Quality. “Our ultimate goal is for all of our state’s long-term care facilities to operate in accordance with these laws and regulations, which exist to establish safe standards for protecting the health of the residents they care for, as well as their staff. If a facility creates a dangerous living condition, we will take immediate and decisive actions to protect residents, who are always our top priority.”  

DPH regulates South Carolina’s long-term care facilities to ensure they provide quality care to their residents as required by state laws and regulations. Through permit reviews, routine and unannounced inspections, and regular communications with facilities and industry stakeholders, DPH works to ensure long-term care facilities have the resources and information they need for operating in compliance with state and federal laws and regulations.  

Learn more about DPH’s role with permitting long-term care facilities and find applicable state regulations at dph.sc.gov/professionals/healthcare-quality. To search public records for enforcement actions taken by DPH against facilities in South Carolina, visit this page. 

This facility may also be subject to additional state or federal laws. 

DPH encourages the public to use an online complaint form if they suspect any type of wrongdoing or unsafe conditions at a healthcare facility or service regulated by DPH. Anyone unable to submit a health facility complaint online can call DPH at 1-800-922-6735 and indicate that they wish to file a complaint against a health facility or service, and DPH will follow-up as needed. 

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