Athena Health Care to close two Bristol CT nursing homes, lay off 431 workers

CT Insider – Thursday, December 26, 2024
By Liese Klein

Nursing home operator Athena Health Care Systems plans to close two skilled nursing homes in Bristol by March 21 and lay off all facility employees, according to a notice received this week by the state Department of Labor.

A total of 178 workers will be laid off at Countryside Manor, at 1660 Stafford Ave., and another 253 will lose their jobs at Sheriden Woods, located at 321 Stonecrest Drive.

Athena intends to move all patients at both homes to other facilities, with deadlines for those relocations in late March, the document states.

“This decision was not made easily and was regrettably reached only after considering every possible option,” Athena said in its letter to the state. No specific reason for the two closures was given.

Doctors, nurses, therapists, cooks and housekeepers were listed as workers slated to lose their jobs.

Athena has asked the Connecticut Department of Social Services for permission to close the two skilled nursing facilities but is still awaiting final approval, according to the DOL notice.

According to its annual report filed with the state, Countryside Manor had a capacity of 90 beds and 81 residents as of Sept. 30, 2023, the most recent year available. The nursing home’s balance sheet total at the end of the reporting period was a negative $9.4 million, according to the report.

Sheriden Woods had a capacity of 146 beds and 127 residents as of Sept. 30, 2023, according to its most recent annual report, with a balance of negative $16.6 million.

Another Athena home, Abbott Terrace Health Center in Waterbury, was slated to close as of Nov. 8, with 209 employees to be laid off. Athena officials had said it was forced to close the home due to a federal decision to terminate its ability to bill the federal Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services for care at Abbott Terrace. That facility is not listed as a Connecticut location on the Athena company website.

Athena Health Care Systems also closed a 150-bed nursing home in Middletown this spring, citing a “challenging healthcare landscape.” The home, Middlesex Health Care Center, had 55 residents at the time of the closing announcement. Wadsworth Glen Health Care and Rehabilitation Center on Boston Road in Middletown remains open, according to the company website.

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