Conditions at nursing home protested

SPANISH FORT, Ala. (WALA) - Three former employees of Westminster Village say they were working to renovate a portion of the building when they stumbled upon what they believe is mold. They tell FOX10 that they tried to alert management, but they were fired for speaking out.

"It got to be where the mold was so bad, that they tore it out and they told us to stop what we are doing because they didn't have the money in the budget to finish," said protester Billy Moore.

Protesters say they are very concerned about the health of the residents and staff at the home. So that is why they chose to tell the public instead of being quiet.

Here is the statement from managers at Westminster.

From Robert L. Rouse, Jr., Executive Director
Thursday, January 14, 2010

On Monday, January 11, three painters were terminated from employment at Westminster Village for cause. Following their termination, in the presence of the police officers who had been called to keep the peace, it was made clear that the former-employees intended to use a mold-related issue to get back at Westminster Village.

In late September, visible water damage caused an inspection of Westminster Village's nurse's lounge. Mold was discovered within the walls. On October 8 we had the mold tested by an environmental laboratory to be sure conditions were safe. The study reported the presence of three common varieties of mold, but said that no samples indicated "excessive mold growth".

By the end of October, the wall containing the mold had been completely repaired, the area treated with algaecide, the partitions replaced together with the wall-coverings and flooring, and the space remodeled. The mold has been completely re-mediated. Regarding the presence of mold in its building, Westminster Village acted responsively and prudently, always keeping the health of its residents and staff as its highest priority. The issue was promptly detected, carefully studied and fixed completely.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says these molds themselves are not toxic or poisonous. Hazards presented by these molds should be considered to be the same as other common molds which can grow in your house. The disgruntled former-employees who are attempting to discredit Westminster Village, do so under the guise of social consciousness, but are in fact retaliating for their justified termination.