Ramsey County leaders want to close nursing home

Ramsey County leaders want to get out of the nursing home business, citing the changing marketplace for senior care and millions of dollars in operating losses.

County Manager Ryan O'Connor recommended closing the Ramsey County Care Center at a workshop on Tuesday, and a majority of commissioners expressed support for closure. Ramsey is one of only two counties in Minnesota running a nursing home.

The seven-member board could officially vote on the matter as early as next Tuesday. The center currently has 95 residents and 130 employees. Under state statute, the county must work with all residents and their families to find them a new place to live. The county also needs approval to close the facility from the state, which will determine if there are enough beds at nearby facilities.

"I do believe closure is the best option for us to move forward," said Commissioner Jim McDonough during a nearly two-hour discussion that commissioners called "difficult," "emotional" and "excruciating."

Commissioner Trista MatasCastillo said the building and the campus are simply "not up to today's standards." She said the county could help more seniors by funding programs and services for seniors who are staying in their homes or choosing other housing options.

"I strongly support the closure of the facility," MatasCastillo said.

Staff walked through three options — closure, leasing the facility to another provider, or selling it — before O'Connor shared the recommendation to close. Commissioners weighed the impacts, including disruption and stress on residents and workers. O'Connor said they would work to move care center staff to other county departments, provide new training opportunities or provide some sort of severance for those who choose to leave.

Between 2012 and 2020, the center, located in the middle of a county campus on White Bear Avenue in Maplewood, recorded operating losses of nearly $11 million. The COVID-19 pandemic has only escalated budget and staffing concerns. Figures for 2021 are still being finalized, but the county transferred $3.4 million to the care center last year to cover the gap. The facility has an $18.4 million operating budget. Minnesota National Guard soldiers assisted at the care center in January amid staff shortages.

The number of nursing home residents has plummeted by more than 40% in the past decade as seniors seek out facilities that offer an array of services including independent and assisted living as well as skilled nursing care.

Commissioner Victoria Reinhardt was the only commissioner who didn't back closure, saying she had unanswered questions and would like to further explore modernizing the center.

Families concerned

Rick Jones' grandmother Eva Haumschild has lived at the care center for five years. He said this is the first he's heard of a possible closure.

"They haven't told anybody about it. I have no other place to put her," Jones said. "All the nursing homes in the region are full."

Jones, who lives in St. Paul Park, said he visits his grandmother weekly.

"The people who work there treat her nice. She gets the care the she needs," he said.

He said the building is outdated and the air conditioning went out last summer, leaving residents in the heat.

Commissioner Nicole Frethem said they've received communications from many in the community, some calling a decision to close "heartless," but she said she believed the community's needs have changed and there are better ways to help more seniors.

Stabilizing effort disrupted

In 2019, the county hired an outside consultant and then pushed forward with plans to stabilize the care center's operation, including adding more private and single rooms, providing room enhancements and increasing marketing.

"Much of that work was disrupted by COVID-19," said Ramsey County Director of Public Health Anne Barry.

All commissioners and staff were effusive in their praise of center staff, who worked through the pandemic to provide care. McDonough said all residents and employees would be treated with "respect and dignity" during the process.

Much of the staff is part of a union — Local 1076 — Ramsey County Care Center. The union is holding a rally outside the care center on Wednesday afternoon in "an effort to save the facility from closing and ensuring the best care to the residents," according to an email.

The facility originally called the Ramsey County Nursing Home was built in 1980, but the county has run services on the site dating back to 1854.

Commissioners and staff said selling or leasing out the 9-acre care center property would be problematic because of its location on the larger Ramsey County campus.