State regulators announced Thursday that a troubled Minneapolis nursing home must be shut down, months after they took over operation of the facility because of lapses in care and financial difficulties.
State shutters troubled northeast Minneapolis nursing home
Twin City Gardens was placed under state receivership in October because of patient care lapses and financial difficulties.
January 6, 2022 at 8:41PM
Twin City Gardens in northeast Minneapolis will close its doors in about 60 days, after its 28 residents are transferred to other living situations.
The Minnesota Department of Health said Thursday that "significant structural difficulties" were discovered once the state appointed a new management company in October, using its powers to take over nursing homes that pose ongoing threats to residents.
"With a leaking roof, mold and other extensive repairs needed to the building, the best and safest option at this point is to move residents to new homes," MDH Health Regulation Division Director Martha Burton Santibáñez said. "We try to avoid facility closure during receivership situations, but the condition of the building limited our options."
The facility requires a roof replacement, mold removal and extensive repairs or replacement of carpets that are held together by duct tape in some spots.
The state health agency said it does not have the authority to make major alterations to the physical structure of the nursing home.
A Ramsey County judge granted MDH the emergency authority to place the nursing home into receivership in October. The order was extended for 180 days in late November.
"Residents are not receiving adequate care, and the situation is likely to deteriorate, possibly without notice," the MDH said in its petition to the court.
The facility had failed to make payments for electricity, medical supplies, telecommunications, payroll services and staff health insurance.
"In short, [Twin City Gardens] is in an overall precarious financial position," Ramsey County District Judge Thomas Gilligan noted in his November order.
Some residents did not have clothing and couldn't buy any because they did not have access to their trust funds, according to court documents.
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Residents, families and the facility's 53 employees were notified of the closure Wednesday. The facility manager, county officials and the state's ombudsman will work to find residents new homes, MDH said.
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