Local Care Facility's Accounts Frozen

BRENTWOOD (KDKA) -- A local care facility is barely able to operate after its accounts were frozen, and former employees say they're worried that patient care has been seriously compromised.

It's late afternoon just outside the Brentwood Care Center and Qualine Sebree just quit his job.

The 23-year-old worked as a cook for nearly seven months.

"Too much heat in the kitchen, I had to go," said Sebree.

Sebree isn't talking about temperature heat. He says state inspectors were there when he got to work and says he saw things that worried him.

KDKA's Marty Griffin: "Are you concerned about the safety of the senior citizens living at the facility?"

Sebree: "Yes. I care about the senior citizens."

Griffin: "Is that one of the reasons why you quit?"

Sebree: "Yes."

The Brentwood Care Center is described as an assisted-living, personal care facility with nearly 60 residents and 30 employees.

Rosemary Kihn works in the kitchen. She says she saw a rat as she was cooking one day.

She was hurt on the job and won a worker's comp case against the facility, but was told not to cash the check. The facility's accounts were frozen by the IRS.

"It means I may lose my house," said Kihn.

Griffin: "Are you worried about the folks living here?"

Kihn: "Yes, cause I can move in with my family. They can't."

For state investigators for her attorney, the IRS's step to freeze bank accounts at the facility sent up a red flag.

Attorney Rick Trankocy: "The business accounts to all of the accounts associated with Brentwood were levied by the Internal Revenue Service."

Griffin: "What does that mean?"

Trankocy: "They're frozen. You can't make payments. You can't access any of the funds in those particular accounts."

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