Five years after acquiring nearly all of Humboldt County’s nursing homes, Brius is threatening to shutter more than half of them, according to the Eureka Times Standard.
Brius’ Rockport Healthcare Services – the administrative service company that manages the nursing homes – alerted the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) of its intention to close Eureka Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, Pacific Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, and Seaview Rehabilitation and Wellness Center
Before any closure can take place the CDPH has to review Brius’ paperwork and approve whatever plans the corporation has submitted for moving each individual patient.
According to state records, Brius operates 449 nursing home beds in the county. The proposed closure of three of these nursing homes could mean the loss of 258 nursing beds, and the displacement of dozens of nursing home residents.
Brius took control of the nursing homes in April of 2011, after Skilled Healthcare Group, Inc., the corporation that formerly ran them, was hit with a $640 million judgment for understaffing its nursing homes over the course of six years (the lawsuit was eventually settled for a lesser amount). In a statement Brius CEO Shlomo Rechitz, wrote “[Brius] is looking forward to working together with the medical community in Humboldt County to deliver the excellent patient care Brius is known for. We’re honored to have the opportunity to make a difference.” And Brad Gibson, whom Brius tasked with managing its Humboldt County nursing homes, told the Eureka Times Standard that “[Skilled Healthcare] just weren’t part of the community anymore, and it was time for them to go.” He went on to claim that with Brius in control of the nursing homes “you’ll see that [nursing] turnover slow down.”
Unfortunately, staffing at these nursing homes has continued to be an issue. Brius alleges unsatisfactory MediCal reimbursement rates and wage competition as factoring into low staffing and financial losses at these nursing homes. Together these two factors have pushed Brius to petition for the closures of these nursing homes with the CDPH.