State May Close ‘Long-Troubled’ Burlingame Nursing Home
If state officials continue to have problems finding a buyer for the "long-troubled" Burlingame Healthcare Center, the state may have to close the nursing home, potentially "scatter[ing]" its 192 residents across the state, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Burlingame Senior Care, which was running the residence, filed for bankruptcy in October, and the state took over the facility the next month to preserve patient care. According to Lea Brooks, a spokesperson for the Department of Health Services, if the state cannot find a buyer in the "next few weeks," residents will be given 45 days notice that they must move and will receive help finding a new home. State officials say they want to keep the residents as close to Burlingame as possible (Stannard, San Francisco Chronicle, 1/6). However, 90% of the residents are Medi-Cal beneficiaries, and beds for beneficiaries are in "scare supply in the Bay Area," the San Jose Mercury News reports. Pat McGinnis, executive director of the consumer group California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, said some residents might have to find homes "several hours away from loved ones," the Mercury News reports (Kwan, San Jose Mercury News, 1/7).
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