All is not as it should be with the Alcott Center, and especially with its independent living facility, the Plaza. In early 2008, when the building became infested with bedbugs, the driector, Penny Mehra, avoided me for two weeks, and then suggested that I had no bedbugs at all. When i finally produced evidence of the infestation, she informed me that the budget did not permit the hiring of a certified bedbug specialist, and that I would have to make do with a pest control operator whom Alcott had on contract, who only knows how to spray, and not how to heat treat the building, or go into walls. Needless to say, the bedbugs keep retuning several weeks after each treatment. While this is the most egregious example, all my requests for maintenance over three years have been responded to slowly, sloppily, and usually unsatisfactorily. Most recently, a pipe broke in the unit above me, causing considerable water damage: after three weeks, the stains have not been painted out. The constant maintenance problems are also taking a toll on the therapeutic aspects of Alcott's mission. Besides the residents' constant hassle with unpleasant and and often unsafe living conditions, the case mangers and therapists are put in the position of being buffers between their clients and employers. This has led to what I perceive as low morale and what I can observe to be rapid turnover among the therapeutic staff.
Review from Guidestar