New Berlin assisted living facility closing in June. Here's how it affects residents, staff
The assisted living unit of a New Berlin senior living facility will close June 30, affecting 45 residents and 24 staff members.
Staff and residents got 54 days' warning of the closure at ProHealth Care's Regency Senior Communities, at 13750 West National Avenue. A letter from May 7 obtained by the Journal Sentinel from ProHealth Care and Capri Communities, which manages the facility, said the organizations have been exploring renovation options for two years and decided to demolish the assisted living wing after "exhaustive discussions and planning reviews."
The 63-bed assisted living wing is located in a former hospital that is "beyond repair," according to the letter. A newer wing of 307 apartments, where seniors live independently, will remain open with no changes, ProHealth spokeswoman Susen Rasmussen said in a statement.
ProHealth has offered the affected 45 assisted living residents the option of moving to one of its other assisted living facilities — in Brookfield or Muskego — or another facility managed by Capri Communities. As of May 9, 35 residents had housing plans in place, and staff would continue working with the others to make plans, Rasmussen said.
All assisted living staff were given the option of applying for open positions at other ProHealth and Capri facilities, the letter said.
While construction on the independent apartments began in 2017, the assisted living wing is located in the former New Berlin Memorial Hospital, which opened in 1966 and closed in 1988, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel archives.
The letter from ProHealth said the required renovations are cost-prohibitive. They include HVAC and roof repairs, aging kitchen equipment and "unrentable" room configurations. And it was not feasible to move residents into apartments in the independent-living wing, since the apartments are spaced too far apart to efficiently care for assisted living residents, the letter said.
"After a review of all options, there was no clear path to renovate the space that would meet the future needs of the residents and staffing. Demolishing the building is the best business decision," the letter said.
Demolition will begin in late summer or early fall, the letter said. Then, a kitchen and dining room for the independent living wing will be expanded.
Facilities are required to provide 30 days' notice to residents that their facility is closing, per state standards. Last legislative session, lawmakers attempted to raise that bar to 90 days for certain facilities, citing harms to residents. The proposal failed.
The New Berlin facility is classified as one that's intended for people who need help living alone due to health issues but don't have dementia or other cognitive limitations. Monthly rent at the facility ranges from $3,700 to $5,400 on average, per state records.
The facility is more expensive than other facilities of the same licensure. The average statewide is $2,900 to $4,700 per month.
More: Journal Sentinel's coverage of prisons, assisted living wins Wisconsin investigative reporting award
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: ProHealth assisted living facility in New Berlin to close in June
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