December 20, 2010 Media Contact: Jenn Meale Phone: (850) 245-0150

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TALLAHASSEE, FL- Attorney General Bill McCollum announced that a Duval County woman was arrested for operating an assisted living facility without a license. Joyce Gibbs, 68, was arrested today by law enforcement officers with the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, with the assistance from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

In August, Ruth’s Family Home Away From Home, an assisted living facility, was inspected by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit’s Patient Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation (PANE) Team revealing the facility’s license had been expired for over a year and the owner was operating the facility with an expired license. The clients were moved out of the facility. A month later, Gibbs moved four of the clients from the original location to a different location and continued to operate without a license. In August, the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) issued a Notice of Unlicensed Activity and the facility was shut down.

Gibbs has been charged with one count of operating an unlicensed assisted living facility without a license, a third-degree felony. If convicted, Gibbs could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and receive up to a $5000 fine. The case will be prosecuted by the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit.

The Pane Team plays a key role in detecting abuse and neglect of elderly and disabled adults, helping to ensure that efficient and effective health care is being provided.