New York's Department of Health recently approved a closing plan for the Saratoga Center for Rehab and Skilled Nursing Care, a 257-bed long-term care facility in Ballston Spa, N.Y., The Daily Gazette reports.
The closing plan requires the nursing home to remain open until all residents find another facility. As of September, the facility was 35 percent occupied.
"I am extremely concerned about the potential closure of the Saratoga Center for Rehab and Skilled Nursing Care, particularly in the midst of the current pandemic, and I am also concerned that I was not formally notified," said Mary Beth Walsh, R-Ballston, the facility's state representative. "The impact that COVID-19 has had on nursing homes, their patients and staff has been deeply troubling, and situations like this only raise more questions in a time of such continued uncertainty."
Ms. Walsh sent the state's health department a list of questions regarding the facility closure and is requesting a copy of its approval letter.
The privately owned facility has been on CMS' Special Focus Facility list for 11 months, a designation that indicates a history of "serious quality issues." Nursing home representatives claim no residents have contracted COVID-19, despite some cases among staff members, according to the Gazette. Saratoga County owned the facility since 1982, and sold it to the first of two private owners in 2015.
In resposne to questions sent by Becker's, a spokesperson from the state's health department did not address the reasoning behind the facility's closure request, but said it has been in contact with Ms. Walsh and shared this statement:
"DOH has approved a plan submitted by the leadership of Saratoga Center for Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Care to close. According to the approved plan, all of the residents will be relocated to other long term care facilities as soon as possible. DOH will monitor the facility as closure activities commence to help minimize the impact of this closing on the community, and to make sure every resident is relocated to an appropriate level of care.”