108-year-old nursing home to close in November: Union and lawmakers are fighting the decision

A nursing home in Amherst, NY that has been in operation since 1916 is closing its doors after continued financial problems. But it won’t happen without a fight from those who want it to stay open, possibly with help from the state.

The Rosa Coplon Living Center on the Weinberg Campus will close on Nov. 30, or the date the last resident is discharged, according to a statement from CEO Robert Wayer Thursday.

The announcement didn’t come completely out of left field.

On October 16, Weinberg employees made headlines when they protested unpaid wages, returned paychecks and cut off health benefits. Company officials admitted they were in serious financial trouble, which would require $15 million to get out.

And in 2022, a long-planned sale of $47 million from campus to Elderwood, a long-term care provider in Western New York, was canceled. Stakeholders attributed the collapse to changes in business priorities due to the pandemic. The deal had been in the works since 2017.

With this in mind, some employees are still unwilling to part ways.

A news release Friday announced that Weinberg employees, residents’ families and elected officials plan to hold a protest today. They will call on the Ministry of Health to fund an ownership transfer to keep the community open, rather than simply overseeing its closure as previously announced.

Protest organizers 1199SEIU, the country’s largest healthcare union, have worked closely with member providers to provide workers with support during uncertainty.

“We (the union) partnered with another provider, Lineage Care Group, an association that Weinberg is a part of,” said Grace Bogdanove, VP of SEIU’s Nursing Home Division of Western New York. McKnight’s Long Term Care. “We have really taken the lead at Weinberg in the absence of leadership, especially over the last six months.”

Weinberg Campus joined Lineage Care Group in February 2023. The alliance includes Niagara Lutheran Health System, along with The GreenFields, Continuing Care Retirement Community and Schofield Care.

Mayer believed that the decision to join the group would ultimately help the company emerge from monetary turmoil.

“This nonprofit, collaborative model provides greater benefits to residents and the community than the for-profit alternative,” Mayer said March 2023. “Without the financial obligation to generate returns for investors, senior care nonprofits can reinvest profits into their operations and communities, leading to superior clinical outcomes, more satisfied employees, and improved patient and community well-being.”

Still, Weinberg’s financial challenges persisted beneath the surface, even as he negotiated an 18-month contract that employees agreed to and included wage and pension increases.

“When we negotiated our union contract this summer, leadership agreed to negotiated wage increases and retroactive pay for employees. They should have been honest and said that they could not keep those promises,” said Bogdanove.

The divestment tragedy

In a few weeks, Rosa Coplon could be added to the list of centenarians Nursing homes in New York who have succumbed to the money pressure.

The main reason for this, officials say, is restrictions on state funding that have made it difficult for providers to find their feet.

“The situation is a tragedy. What we’re seeing is New York’s history of nursing home disinvestment rearing its ugly head,” said Stephen B. Hanse, president and CEO of NYS Health Facilities Association. McKnight’s long-term care news. “It is critical that the state works with suppliers and workers to resolve this situation.”

In March, state officials proposed a Medicaid reimbursement interest rate increase that would help close a sixteen-year financing gap. But with the increase coinciding with chronic staffing issues, some say it may be too little, too late.

“The state only funds roughly 75% of the cost of a Medicaid resident in a nursing home, essentially putting nursing homes out of business,” Hanse said. “If you underfund Medicaid in the face of a long-term care workforce crisis, those two alone are a recipe for closure, and that is a recipe for limiting access to essential, necessary care.”

If the state doesn’t provide a lifeline and the campus closes, SEIU representatives said they will try to find employees working elsewhere and expedite health insurance coverage.

McKnight’s long-term care news attempts to reach CEO Robert Mayer were unsuccessful.