Aultman said Feb. 1 that it will cease operations at two skilled nursing facilities: the Transitional Care Center at Aultman Woodlawn in Canton, Ohio, and the Community Care Center at Aultman Alliance (Ohio) Community Hospital.
The move will result in the layoff of more than 150 employees, including nurses, therapy aides and housekeepers, according to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notices filed with the state. Overall, 187 staff members at the two facilities will be affected, and all will have an opportunity to find another job at Aultman matching their qualifications, the Aultman Health Foundation, a nonprofit health system, told Becker's.
Aultman attributed the closures to ongoing labor struggles and financial challenges.
"This decision was not one we made easily," Linda Casey, COO of Aultman post-acute services, said in a news release. "We will work with short and long-term residents to identify their needs and help them find another facility that will address those needs, as well as provide support and education as needed during the transition process."
Aultman anticipates that the closures will occur within the next three months once all patients have been transferred to new facilities.
A hospital official said Woodlawn will continue to offer home healthcare (Aultman Health Care in Your Home), the Compassionate Care Center and the inpatient rehabilitation unit, with plans to expand this unit.
A portion of the Community Care Center space at Aultman Alliance will be transitioned to inpatient hospice, "and we will be exploring additional opportunities for the remaining space," the official said.
As of Feb. 1, Aultman had 600 open positions.