Baptist Homes facility in Mt. Lebanon to close in December
Ninety residents of the Baptist Senior Family’s skilled nursing and personal care home in Mt. Lebanon are looking for new places to live following the announcement that the facility will be closing by the end of the year.
Baptist Senior Family has submitted a plan to the Pennsylvania Department of Health Division of Nursing Care Facilities to shut its doors. Once it is approved, Baptist Senior Family will be able to embark on the final closing process.
The home is located on Castle Shannon Boulevard. In a news release, the nonprofit said closing the home accompanies “a national change in the model of quality senior care,” and that “Baptist Senior Family recognizes now is the time to act on what changes are needed in our community. Baptist Senior Family has placed our focus on moving from a past of institutional care to a future of providing care delivered how and where seniors want and need it…”
Amy Dukes, vice president of marketing and public relations for Baptist Senior Family, said transition teams are working with residents and families to relocate them, either to other locations Baptist Senior Family operates, or those managed by other companies. In the Pittsburgh region “there are a lot of options,” Duke explained.
“I’ve worked around the state, and there are other places that don’t have options,” she added.
In the news release, Tim Myers, president and CEO of Baptist Senior Family, explained, “We are continuing to provide the highest level of care for seniors by ensuring all unique needs can be met. Every resident will be offered the best possible solution for themselves and their family. No resident will be left without a home where they can receive the care they need.”
Employees in Mt. Lebanon will be offered other jobs within Baptist Senior Family.
Senior care homes like the one closing in Mt. Lebanon have been battered by a number of difficulties recently, with two of the biggest being inflation, which has increased costs, and Medicaid reimbursements that have remained flat. According to data from the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, Medicaid pays an average of about $200 per day, while actual costs are closer to $250. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported in June that nursing homes are also confronting staffing issues, and one Pittsburgh-area nursing home operator predicted that up to one-third of homes could be driven out of business due to labor shortfalls and problems balancing the books.