Friday, November 07, 2014YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- CHCC Health Care Centers Inc. says it will cease operating Campus Health Care Center, 196 Colonial Drive, and its Cedarcreek Health Care Center, 4121 Tod Avenue NW in Warren, by Dec. 31, potentially idling a combined 156 employees.
“The company has recently notified the landlord of the Campus facility that it will be turning over the facility back to the landlord on January 1, 2015,” states the letter to Campus employees, a copy of which was obtained by The Business Journal. “It is our understanding that the landlord is actively looking for another operator to take over Campus; however, the company does not know if or when that might happen.”
Late Friday, The Business Journal recieved a copy of a letter sent to employees at Campus Health Center that stated, "While the operation of the buildings will cease to be operated by CHCC Companies, they will continue to be operated, by another company, effective January 1, 2015."
The landlord for the properties, Greg Gibson, said he expects to finalize who the next operator will be next week.
"We have a few new operators in place, we're just looking to finalize our decision," he said. "It's business as usual. We've had, over 30 years, probably three or four different operators. It's just a matter of finding the next operator who's looking to get started at those facilities."
An earlier statement from Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff, the law firm that represents CHCC, said the company's leases for the buildings expire Dec. 31 and that landlords were notified "several months ago."
"The tenant-operator suggested to the landlord-owner that they should seek a new tenant-operator, and have agreed to cooperate in a transition to a new operator. Because the landlord-owner has not identified a new operator, Imperial Manor and Colonial Manor were required under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act to provide certain notices to their employees," the statement said. "The required language under the [notification] speaks about a 'closure.' Whether there will be an actual closure depends upon the landlord-owner's ability to engage a new operator."
The letter and plant closing notices sent the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services are signed by Joseph Cilone, president of CCHC Health Care Centers. Cilone could not be reached for comment. His company also operates nursing homes in North Lima, Calcutta and Carrolton and an assisted living facility in Hubbard.
Licensed nursing homes are required to give 90 days notice to the Ohio Department of Medicaid that they will be closing.
“As of today, that notice has never been given. It indicates there is no closure in effect or in the process,” said John Saulitis, ombudsman for the Area Agency on Aging 11. “We're trying to follow the situation to make sure the concerns of residents and family members are addressed in the event of a closure, but we're not at that point based on the information that we have.”
Saulitis added that in the event that CCHC does close Cedarcreek and Campus Health Care, a relocation team will look into finding housing for the residents.
“The relocation team has been following this, as well as the Sateri case. There are people in place to address any resident concerns and family concerns if, in fact, it becomes real,” Saulitis said.
Mark Meszaros, a resident at Campus Health Care, said residents were notified of the situation. “They have a potential buyer, we were told. That's all they said,” he related.
“There are a lot of concerned residents. This facility is probably 85% Medicaid. There's some of us private pay and a private pay person can probably get picked up anywhere, at any nursing home tomorrow,” Meszaros said. “If you're on Medicaid, they tell you there's a waiting list and they can only have so many on Medicaid in their facility. They prefer to take private pay.”
Meszaros said many aides at the nursing home are already applying for jobs elsewhere.
“They've all got applications in at other places and as soon as they get jobs, they will just quit [if they get another job,” he said. “They need to start looking for a job now, especially with Sateri [assisted living] announcing they're closing. There's going to be a lot of aides looking for a job and I think the smart ones started applying.”
Sateri Homes Inc. confirmed Wednesday that it will close its two assisted living facilities in Boardman Dec. 3, leaving many residents wondering where else they will be able to go for care.
Pictured: Campus Health Care Center in Youngstown.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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