Charlesgate caregivers to march to State House to protest shutdown
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Caregivers at Charlesgate Nursing Center in Providence, who are members of SEIU 1199NE, will hold a rally and march on May 16 to demand Gov. Dan McKee put the facility in receivership.
The caregivers will hold a rally in front of the nursing home at 3 p.m. before marching to the State House.
The facility cited staffing shortages and decreased state funding as the reason for shutting down after 50 years.
“We recognize the challenges that this decision may cause, but there was no other option due to current industry conditions,” said Neil Shunney, president of Davenport Associates.
The union said that Charlesgate announced to workers on April 28 its plan to close the facility in July, despite not receiving approval from the Department of Health.
Caregivers have faced uncertainty since the announcement of the shutdown, with management failing to provide any additional details on its transition plan for residents or severance pay for workers, they added.
