RI Nursing Home, Rated as One of the Best, Closing Due to Financial Issues

RI Nursing Home, Rated as One of the Best, Closing Due to Financial Issues

The financially troubled Linn Health and Rehabilitation nonprofit nursing home has notified the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) of its intent to close and began the process of notifying 100+ staff, 48 residents, and their families of the decision to discontinue its operations on July 20, 2024. 

“We are extremely saddened to have to close our doors after a 53-year history of caring for the long-term care and rehabilitation needs of older adults,” states Jamie L. Sanford, LNHA, LCSW, administrator of Linn Health & Rehabilitation. “We tried everything possible to keep our doors open. Now, we turn our focus to ensuring the safe relocation of residents and the continuation of appropriate medical and nursing care until all transfers are complete. This closure is a challenging time for our residents, our staff, our families, and everyone involved in the operation of our nursing home.”

Linn said in a statement, “Faced with rampant inflation, rising food and utility costs, high temporary staffing agency fees, and low state Medicaid reimbursement rates that haven’t kept pace with increasing expenses in over ten years, Linn Health sought a “Christmas miracle” in late 2023 to save the nursing home from having to displace its elderly residents or layoff staff members. But, to date, the 'Hail Mary' miracle never came.”

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“With the ever-dwindling hope of receiving a financial windfall to solve its financial crisis, Linn leadership, together with its nonprofit parent organization Aldersbridge Communities and volunteer Board of Trustees, recently fast-tracked a ‘survival’ solution to convert one floor of the nursing home into an affordable assisted living memory care program. Switching to this specialized level of assisted living care would enable Linn to bill Medicaid at a higher rate of reimbursement, and would also be likely to attract private-pay residents,” said Linn.

“State approval for our application for the memory care program is currently going much slower than expected, and time has nearly run out to cover our operational expenses. We can no longer afford to wait, so closure is the inevitable and responsible step,” states Richard Gamache, MS, FACHCA, chief executive officer of Aldersbridge Communities. “We have made tireless pleas to the State for emergency gap funding to keep us afloat until our application can be approved, but to no avail.”

Linn Health & Rehabilitation was named a 2024 ‘Best Nursing Home’ and ‘High-Performing’ short-term rehabilitation home in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Despite this five-star status, it joins six other homes in the Rhode Island area that have gone out of business, three others that declared bankruptcy, and one other that recently downsized by 50 beds.