California Department of Justice Closes Investigation Concerning Sunwest

SALEM, OR - December 13, 2007 - In August of 2005, The Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse (BMFEA) opened an investigation into Sunwest Management and Meadowlark Assisted Living. The investigation, which was all it ever was, was highly publicized in the media. In 2007, The BMFEA opened a second investigation into Paragon Gardens focusing on a specific resident.

Sunwest has always believed that a thorough investigation, which The BMFEA conducted over an extended period, would exonerate the company, which it has.

Today, Sunwest received a letter from the Deputy Attorney General for The BMFEA. In the letter The BMFEA wrote "The BMFEA has closed its investigations concerning Meadowlark and Paragon Gardens. The BMFEA has decided that it will not file a criminal or civil action against Sunwest or any employee for known incidents to date concerning Meadowlark or Paragon Gardens."

When asked for a comment, Darryl Fisher, Chief Operating Officer for Sunwest, responded by saying "We are very excited to receive this notice from The BMFEA. Throughout this investigation our desire has been to cooperate with The BMFEA. Our main goal was to cooperate fully so they could resolve their questions and reach the resolution we were notified of today." Darryl went on to add "I truly appreciate everyone's hard work and effort to reach this point. I also appreciate positive attitudes from all those involved who believed this day would come. This is just another step in the right direction for Sunwest that allows us to continue to focus on our main goal, providing quality care and services for our residents."

Finally, we would like to thank The BMFEA for the work it does, for the way the investigations were handled and for closing the matter before the end of the year.