PHILADELPHIA–The City of Philadelphia announced the closing of the Philadelphia Nursing Home, a 402-bed long-term care nursing facility located at 2100 West Girard Avenue that is managed by Fairmount Long Term Care. The City is committed to closing the facility by the end of the year and hopes to have all residents safely relocated to other appropriate living situations by the end of October. The plan for closure has been submitted to, and approved by, the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
“While I am sad to see the Philadelphia Nursing Home close, the financial realities of long-term care and the impact of the pandemic mean that it is simply not feasible to continue to operate such a large facility with so many empty beds,” said Cheryl Bettigole, Health Commissioner for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. “I am deeply grateful to the dedicated, compassionate staff of PNH and am committed to supporting them in their job transitions and to ensuring that every PNH resident is safely relocated to a living situation that meets their needs.”
The decision to close the Philadelphia Nursing Home was made for financial reasons. Due to lower occupancy since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with an old building in need of many updates and repairs, the City no longer has the ability to sustain the worsening financial situation of the nursing home. Nursing home revenue depends on the number of residents, but many costs are fixed. Given the wide availability of residential spots and employee openings in private long term care facilities, we are optimistic that this closure will be less difficult than had it occurred at a different time, but understand that this news will be very upsetting to many staff, residents, and families.
Residents of the Philadelphia Nursing Home, and their families, advocates, and guardians as appropriate, will be paired with staff to review other facilities and living arrangements in the region that are appropriate for their level of care. Staff will work with those residents and their families, advocates, and guardians to find a situation that not only meets their needs, but also the resident’s desires in a new location. Every effort will be made to allow on-site visits of other facilities. If that is not possible for safety reasons, such as an ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, residents will be given a virtual visit. Once the time for relocation happens, the nursing home will work with the new facility to transport the resident and all of their belongings. No resident will be moved until they have a safe discharge or transfer plan. Furthermore, no resident will be moved within 30 days of receiving notification of the closure unless they choose to and a safe discharge or transfer plan is in place.
Philadelphia Nursing Home staff are being offered retention incentives in order to maintain safe staffing levels through the facility’s closure. Staff will be provided with support as they transition into positions at other facilities. Given the large number of openings at other facilities, it is anticipated that staff will be able to quickly identify new positions. The City can also assist in providing wrap-around services, such as resume review and counseling, through Philadelphia Works, the City’s workforce development board.