Ayer, Mass.-based Nashoba Associated Boards of Health is closing its visiting nurse and hospice services effective immediately.
The regional health department program has provided "personalized, expert skilled nursing and end-of-life care in people's homes for over sixty years," according to an email shared with the Sentinel & Enterprise. The organization made the decision during its June 29 meeting, according to a June 30 letter posted on its website. The visiting nurses and hospice for-fee services were part of the agency's nonprofit, Medicare-certified program.
The program is closing due to the difficulty in hiring and retaining nurses, which led to an inability to accept new patients. The size of patient demand also made it "difficult to be financially viable as our costs to provide services are higher, in most cases, than the payment we received for those services," the letter said
The services will continue until all patients are transferred or discharged.