1 Year Later: Missing woman's family says "She's safe with God" (Click for The Star's special look at the history of Unique Living)

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Unique Living - Years of Struggle - Web Feature
Here are stories from The Star's online archives that chronicle the facility's history. Records from recent years are complete, while records from 2002-2005 are incomplete because of the archiving system used at that time. For complete archives, microfilm records are available for view and printing at Cleveland Memorial Library in Shelby. SEPTEMBER 2008 Developing News: Unique Living shut down 2008-09-11 Local News: Officials search for new homes for Unique Living patients 2008-09-11 Local News: GPS system pondered for missing patients 2008-09-10 Local News: Missing woman case brings to light other problems at Unique Living 2008-09-09 Local News: Investigators turn to public for leads in missing woman 2008-09-08 Developing News: Search continues for missing Unique Living patient 2008-09-04 Breaking News: Officials search for missing Unique Living resident . 2008-09-03 Local News: The history of Unique Living 2008-09-03 AUGUST 2008 Local News: DSS monitors changes at Unique Living 2008-08-18 Local News: DSS working with Unique Living to improve facility 2008-08-15 JULY 2008 Lifestyles: Restaurant Ratings/Week of July 7-11 2008-07-15 Local News: Unique Living in limbo 2008-07-10 Debate: DSS should maintain openness 2008-07-05 Local News: DSS recommends state suspend admissions at Unique Living 2008-07-01 OCTOBER 2007 Local News: Three Cleveland DSS workers win state awards 2007-10-15 AUGUST 2007 Lifestyles: Weekly restaurant health inspections 2007-08-01 JUNE 2007 Local News: Project Lifesaver technology helps locate wanderers 2007-06-21 MARCH 2007 Local News: Unique Living under fire for health rating 2007-03-13 Local News: Wandering man turns up in Charlotte 2007-03-08 Local News: Missing man found 2007-03-08 NOVEMBER 2006 Local News: Pathways: Facility should make changes 2006-11-10 Local News: State recommends $16,000 fine for facility 2006-11-01 OCTOBER 2006 Local News: NC suspends admissions at Unique Living 2006-10-30 Local News: DSS Letters: Close or change Unique Living 2006-10-24 Local News: Do adult care homes offer appropriate care? 2006-10-16 Local News: Legislators look into adult care problems 2006-10-11 SEPTEMBER 2006 Local News: Disappearances, death spur study 2006-09-28 Local News: Program hopes to help lost dementia patients 2006-09-27 Local News: Unique Living resident takes off 2006-09-26 Local News: This time, did home report missing man fast enough? 2006-09-26 Local News: Governor's group: Unique Living should close 2006-09-18 Local News: Group to talk strategy 2006-09-12 AUGUST 2006 Local News: Investigation: Unique Living broke laws 2006-08-18 Local News: DSS Memo: Unique Living violations apparent 2006-08-18 Local News: Center plans hearing on dementia 2006-08-11 Local News: Lawndale assisted living home had complaints in ‘05 2006-08-09 Debate: It’s too soon to lay blame for tragedy 2006-08-09 Local News: Unique Living: Whitesides was 'not incompetent' 2006-08-07 Local News: DSS comments: Unique Living followed protocol 2006-08-07 Local News: Former living facility: Whitesides was unhappy 2006-08-07 Local News: How did 'Buck' die? The chronology of his last days 2006-08-07 Local News: Who was "Buck" Whitesides? 2006-08-07 Local News: Neighborhood: Enough! 2006-08-07 Local News: Lost man found dead 2006-08-05 Local News: Missing man found dead in the woods behind Unique Living 2006-08-05 Local News: Where is he? 2006-08-05 Local News: Family waits for answers 2006-08-03 MARCH 2005 Local News: Yelton's changes owners 2005-03-01 FEBRUARY 2005 Local News: Yelton's changing leaders 2005-02-12 AUGUST 2004 Local News: DSS to ask state to close Yelton's or stop admissions 2004-08-31 JULY 2003 Local News: Yelton's faces maximum penalty 2003-07-11 DECEMBER 2002 Local News: DSS: Yelton's violated agreement with state 2002-12-18 OCTOBER 2002 Local News: Yelton's resident dies from hot bath injuries 2002-10-29 Local News: Yelton's patient burned in bath 2002-10-22	911 Calls Database | Use this searchable database of 911 calls for service at Unique Living. Click here to continue	(View Larger Map) Here is part of the facility's history, according to The Star's archives: 2008 Facility closed. Woman disappears from the facility. Cleveland County Department of Social Services recommends that the state suspend admissions to the facility and appoint a temporary manager. Facility's kitchen scores a 90 on its health department inspection. In August, DSS gets an optimistic report about changes at the facility. 2007 The facility scores an 80 on a health department inspection of its kitchen. The facility makes improvements and later in the year scores a 94. 2006 Kelly Neal "Buck" Whitesides, 59, disappears from the facility and is later found in Rutherford County. He is returned to the facility, only to disappear hours later. He is found dead days later, 844 feet from the home. A second resident disappears and the home files a report within the state's mandated time frame. He later turns himself in to police in Maggie Valley. The Governor's Advocacy Council for Persons with Disabilities recommends that the facility be closed. Cleveland County Department of Social Services asks that the facility be closed or that its licensure be changed to that of a mental health facility. Pathways urges licensure change to that of a mental health facility. State suspends admissions and orders a $16,000 fine. 2005 Ownership changes; other staff changes. Facility's name changed to Unique Living. Upgrades and repairs planned for facility. County DSS finds some claims against the facility are false. 2004 County DSS learns that a state-operated facility for people with mental illness, developmental disabilities and histories of substance abuse is releasing patients with significant criminal histories to Yelton's. 2002 Facility and state Department of Health and Human Services' Division of Facility Services reach a settlement that dictates that the facility not admit sex offenders and that it not employ anyone convicted of a violent crime. A 66-year-old woman dies after sustaining burns in a bath at the facility. The worker involved was found to have a violent criminal history; facility officials said her history was because of marital problems. 2000 Admissions suspended for a time. Yelton's is fined $10,000 after a 43-year-old woman choked on a sandwich and died. Mouy Tang is missing from the Unique Living facility. There is a large reward for information on her whereabouts. The Property See an aerial view of the facility. Although the Unique Living facility's specific owner information is not available through the county's Geographic Information System (GIS), some information is available on the property off Philadelphia Road, which was once the Philadelphia School. The property For specifics on the building off its property card