Belle Reve operating on a provisional license

The Belle Reve Senior Living in Milford has been operating on a provisional license since December after an October inspection by the state Department of Human Services revealed, among other things, possible sexual abuse between residents.

In a Dec. 12, 2025, letter to Belle Reve, DHS Deputy Secretary of Long-Term Living Juliet Marsala wrote:

“Based on violations (relating to Personal Care Homes), DHS hereby revokes your certificate of compliance dated May 15, 2025, to May 15, 2026, and issues you a first provisional license to operate the above facility. A first provisional license is being issued based on the directed plan to correct the violations as specified on the Licensing Inspection Summary (LIS). Your first provisional license is enclosed and is valid from Dec. 12, 2025, to June 12, 2026.”

The summary stemming from an Oct. 22, 2025, inspection was attached to Marsala’s letter to Belle Reve and listed three violations.

“Resident 1, who had previous history in the home of sexual abuse of a resident and is known to seek out and take female memory care residents to their room for sexual acts, was found in (a) bedroom with Resident 2,” reads the first violation listed in the LIS. “Resident 2 was seated on a couch and Resident 1 was ... holding Resident 2’s shirt up above (her) breasts while touching them.”

According to DHS, this violated a requirement that “a resident may not be neglected, intimidated, physically or verbally abused, mistreated, subjected to corporal punishment or disciplined in any way.”

Resident 1, who was found to have engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior more than once, was discharged from Belle Reve late last year.

The other two violations

Belle Reve was also cited for:

Not allowing all memory care residents full access to their bedrooms; and

Failing to identify a resident’s “physical, medical, social and cognitive needs” after that resident eloped from the facility and engaged in sexual abuse in 2025.

It is unclear if that resident is the same individual referred to as Resident 1 earlier in the report.

For each instance, corrective plans of action were put in place by the staff at Belle Reve. Those plans of action were listed for each violation in the LIS.

“All violations specified on the LIS must be corrected by the dates specified on the report and continued compliance (relating to Personal Care Homes), must be maintained,” Marsala wrote. “Failure to implement the plan of correction or failure to maintain compliance may result in a revocation of the license.”

Different operator

At the time the violations were cited last year, Belle Reve was operated by Care HSL Belle Reve OPCO LLS. Today, it is operated by Viva Senior Living.

“Viva Senior Living was not the operator or manager at the time that Belle Reve was placed on a provisional license,” said Viva Chief Strategy Officer Heather Terhark. “Our understanding is that was in October 2025, prior to us taking over in December 2025. We do not have the in-depth knowledge about the situation. We were not involved with the corrective plan of action. We have no knowledge if an appeal was done at the time of the provisional license was issued.”

Unrelated to ongoing investigation

After receiving a tip about “suspected medical neglect of residents” at Belle Reve Senior Living, state police opened an investigation Feb. 17 that now includes DHS and the Pike County District Attorney’s Office.

“The revocation of Belle Reve’s full license and subsequent issuance of a first provisional license occurred on Dec. 12, 2025, and is not in response to the Feb. 17, 2026, incident,” said DHS Press Secretary Brandon Cwalina. “If, in additional investigations, DHS determines that applicable regulations have been violated, DHS may cite the facility for the violation and require the submission and implementation of a plan of correction.”

Authorities had no comment on the investigation.