Five MA nursing homes to close

April 25, 2019 12:16 am

By: Brittany Comak

Twitter: @comaknews

Email: bcomak@abc6.com

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WLNE) – Residents at five Massachusetts nursing homes will soon be homeless after the Massachusetts Department of Health announced Wednesday that their parent company, Skyline Healthcare, has agreed to voluntarily close the facilities.

This comes on the heels of ongoing financial turmoil for the nursing homes where employees weren’t getting paid.

The issue have caused significant staffing shortages.

The facilities include:

Bedford Village Care and Rehabilitation Center (New Bedford)
Rockdale Care and Rehabilitation Center (New Bedford)
Bedford Gardens Care and Rehabilitation Center (New Bedford)
Dighton Care and Rehabilitation (Dighton)
Highland Manor Care and Rehabilitation Center (Fall River)

Executive Director of Bedford Gardens Steven Haase told ABC 6 Tuesday, two facilities have had their phone service shut off, meaning nurses have to use their own phones in an emergency.

“If our patients go somewhere else, I’ll feel more comfortable that they’ll get the care that they deserve,” said Haase.

Patients won’t have much choice in the matter anymore.
At Rockdale Care and Rehabilitation, residents called the ordeal “a mess” and so far they’ve been left in the dark regarding what will happen to them.

In a statement, the department of health says they are working on a “orderly closure process,” and that the residents will be relocated to other facilities.

“A resident’s room is not just their room it’s their home,” said Haase. “It’s heartbreaking.”

It’s unclear what the timeline will be for these facilities to close.
According to the department of health, there are almost 250 people that will need to be rehoused.