CONNECTICUT, USA — In Connecticut, a slew of nursing home closures and healthcare sector layoffs is becoming a crisis of long-term care, with increasing financial pressure and lingering headwinds from the COVID pandemic.
One out of every three Connecticut residents will need to spend some time in a skilled nursing facility. However, those facilities have been closing at an alarming rate.
“An emergency is emerging,” said Matt Barrett, CEO of the Connecticut Association of Healthcare Facilities.
Connecticut has the fifth oldest population, so it’s concerning that nursing home closures have outpaced the rest of the country. Since 2021, 15 skilled nursing facilities have closed.
Just last week, Sheriden Woods and Countryside Manor in Bristol filed for closure, resulting in the elimination of another 236 resident beds or 40% of the capacity in Bristol.
“There’s simply no way to gloss over how significant this news is,” said Barrett. “There’s a real serious question on the horizon about whether there are enough nursing home beds now and into the future to meet the care needs of our exploding aging population.”
87% of the beds in Connecticut's nursing homes are occupied. That’s above the national average of 79%. Each closure brings the state closer to capacity, stressing the system and the quality of care.
A new study found 99% of the nearly 200 nursing homes across the state have at least one deficiency. In October, the feds essentially forced the closure of Abbott Terrace in Waterbury, citing the facility “failed to meet minimum health and safety standards.” Meanwhile, the industry continues to struggle to recover from the COVID pandemic.
“There are definitely trends associated with the public health emergency that continue to show their presence and facilities are continuing to struggle,” Barrett said.
Companies are struggling in addition to facilities. Just two years ago, Athena Healthcare was the largest nursing home operator in the state. Now, only six homes remain. The company said it is “evaluating options to support continued operations.”
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FOX61 obtained the Sheriden Woods and Countryside Manor closure notices filed with the state Department of Social Services.
Operator Athena Healthcare cites a “high Medicaid population, staffing challenges, the age of the facilities, and rising operational costs" as reasons for closure.
“Some buildings are not found to be viable because it’s very expensive for other owners to come in and if they are bought, the owner coming in needs to bring it up to current public health code, which can also be very costly,” said Mairead Painter, the Connecticut long-term care ombudsman.
More than 50% of the state’s nursing homes are more than 50 years old.
“I really think we need to have small nursing homes somewhere between 30 and 60 beds,” Painter said.
Meanwhile, 73% of Connecticut nursing home residents rely on Medicaid and the reimbursement rates haven’t kept up with inflation.
“If we are using taxpayer dollars it should be 100% transparent. There shouldn’t be anything we don’t see or know how it’s spent and profiting off of that is a tough one for me,” Painter added.
State lawmakers said they will be making nursing homes a priority next session with new legislation.
As for the two Bristol nursing homes facing closure, DSS said they are in a 10-day cooling off period where they take no action. That will be followed by a public hearing and then they have up to 180 days to make a final decision.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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