Whistleblower Fired After Concerns at Jacksonville Senior Living Facility Were Verified

JACKSONVILLE, Texas (TXAN 24) — A whistleblower who helped expose care and oversight concerns at Countryside Senior Living of Jacksonville has been terminated from employment after state investigators and the facility’s ownership verified multiple issues previously reported by current and former employees.

The termination comes weeks after Countryside Senior Living acknowledged that concerns initially brought forward by staff members and reported by TXAN 24 News were substantiated through internal reviews and subsequent regulatory scrutiny.

TXAN 24 News previously reported allegations involving resident care, medication management, staffing oversight, and facility operations. At the time, facility leadership stated there was insufficient evidence to support the claims. However, in a June 2 public letter, ownership acknowledged that its investigation found conditions that did not meet the organization’s standards of care and that additional concerns had been reported to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC).

The whistleblower’s termination also comes after TXAN 24 News and the employee sought and received assurances from owner and operator Sean Broadbent that retaliation would not occur against individuals who reported concerns regarding resident care and facility operations.

Information gathered by TXAN 24 News from current and former employees was provided to both facility ownership and HHSC. Following additional review, the company implemented leadership changes, initiated retraining and re-credentialing efforts for care and medication staff, increased clinical oversight, and placed the facility under new leadership.

The circumstances surrounding the whistleblower’s termination remain under TXAN 24 News’ Watchdog Division’s review. TXAN 24 News will request comment from Countryside Senior Living, Sean Broadbent and State Authorities regarding the decision and whether the termination is related to the employee’s role in reporting concerns.

The HHSC investigation remains active, and final findings have not yet been publicly released. TXAN 24 News will continue following developments in the case.