North Haven seniors push back against rest home's plans to close

North Haven seniors push back against rest home's plans to close


Wednesday, January 4, 2012

By Ann DeMatteo

Special to the Post-Chronicle

NORTH HAVEN — Along with family members, residents of a local rest home pleaded Tuesday for the state to keep open Clintonville Manor, while the home’s administrator said there’s been a loss of $1 million over three years.

At a hearing before the state Department of Social Services Tuesday morning, Clintonville Manor Administrator Melissa Simonetti said she and her family are asking the state for permission to close because of “significant financial losses over the past several years and because additional losses are expected in the future due to low census, flat Medicaid reimbursement and increases in operating costs.” Efforts to sell the home did not work out, she said.

About 150 people attended the hearing in the dining hall of the Clintonville Road facility, opened in 1983. The hearing lasted just over a half hour. The Social Services Department requires a hearing when a request for closure is made. The state has up to 90 days to either grant, modify or deny the request.

In 2011, an average of 86 people lived in the facility, which equates to a 77 percent occupancy level. The facility is licensed for 112 people. “To be financially viable, nursing facilities generally need to be at least 90 percent occupied,” she said.

According to a letter of intent to terminate services that Simonetti wrote to the state last month, no resident is going to be involuntarily transferred or discharged from the facility, in accordance with state law. At the time of the letter, Dec. 1, there were 84 people living in the 112-bed nursing facility. Several people have been transferred since then, at the request of families or conservators, she said after the hearing.

Simonetti said there are vacancies in other facilities that can serve Clintonville clients, but several speakers said that any change for their relatives will be difficult. Family members of residents said they wanted the facility to stay open because their loved ones are receiving good care.

Vincent Mase said his father had been at another facility that was closed by the state and that he was fortunate to have him placed at Clintonville. Clintonville has a nice ambience and is bright and pleasant, Mase said.

“I don’t want my father to go anywhere else,” he said.

Mase said he would do what he had to to keep the facility open.

Also on board with trying to keep the rest home open is state Rep. Dave Yaccarino, R-North Haven.

Yaccarino said he would “do my best” to try to find Clintonville Manor the resources it needs to stay open.

Cerene Whalen said closing the home is a “poor idea.” Her mother, Cerene Molleur, 87, has lived there for five months. Her mother’s needs are met and she says she’s treated very well.

“I don’t want to see it close down,” said Freda Smart, a Clintonville Manor resident who said she would have to live alone in a West Haven apartment if Clintonville were to close.

Speakers also expressed concern for the roughly 85 employees who would lose their jobs in this difficult economy.

Clintonville Manor is considered by state standards to be a rest home with nursing supervision, as opposed to the other state licensure category, chronic and convalescent nursing home. Rest homes with nursing supervision tend to serve individuals who need less assistance with daily living and less complex rehabilitation needs. Simonetti said Clintonville Manor didn’t have the financial ability to convert to a chronic and convalescent home and instead tried to sell. A potential buyer didn’t get permission from the state to convert some beds to that category and get higher Medicaid reimbursements, so the prospective buyer backed out, she said.

Even though Medicaid rates are expected to increase slightly in the coming year, Simonetti said the increases would be swallowed up because of increases in state provider tax payments.

“While closure of Clintonville will be difficult for residents, families and staff, it is expected that surrounding facilities will experience improved census levels, increased revenues and enhanced financial stability, thereby strengthening the viability of the long-term care system,” Simonetti said.

Richard Wysocki, principal cost analyst for DSS, was the hearing officer. He promised the state agency “will look at everything” before making a decision.

First Selectman Michael J. Freda said later that he attended the hearing to see what the issues were. “I’m willing to help in any way I can, but their board of directors needs to tell me how I can be of assistance,” he said.

In December 2010, Clintonville Manor was cited on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ list of deficient nursing homes, and entered into a Special Focus Facilities (SFF) program designed to improve its operations.

Simonetti said that since she took over nine months ago, the problems haven’t existed.

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