Madison nursing home closure would impact residents, community

After only seven months, a South Dakota company is taking steps to close two east river nursing homes.

As KSFY News first reported Thursday night, Black Hills Receiver told the State Health Department it will close care centers in Madison and Mobridge.

Madison Care and Rehabilitation houses around 50 people, and they will soon need to find a new place to live.

Black Hills Receiver said they have determined the facility will not be able to generate enough income to cover expenses.

But closing its doors comes at a much larger cost -- some residents will be losing their community and families.

"My wife is in this nursing home here in Madison," Jeff Hylend said.

For Hylend, the news of the closure of Madison Care and Rehabilitation Center rocked him to his core.

His wife Michelle was diagnosed 12 years ago with diabetes, and the condition got worse. She is now paralyzed from the chest down.

"We're Madison residents," he said. "We happen to have two young children -- one 16 and one 12 years old. My kids could come and see her after school, at night or any other time, pretty easily. Instead of moving her out of Madison, and then we have to travel 40 miles, 80 miles to go see her."

Upon hearing the news she would potentially have to move, Hylend's wife was devastated.

"She is going to miss her family," he said. "That's definitely going to be hard on her having young children."

Now the City of Madison hopes another company decides to fill the void before it would possibly close the end of January.

"It is definitely a noticeable part of our community," Madison Utility Commissioner Jeremiah Cordin said. "It brings people in, whether they are visiting the residents or people can come there to live there, and that's why I am hoping that somebody else will fulfill this void."

If the facility does close, it would have a major impact on the entire community.

"If you reach that point in your life that you need skilled nursing care, Madison will have gone from two providers to one, and the one Bethel can't serve all those needs and so, those folks will have to go elsewhere," Jim Iverson, retired administrator for Bethel Lutheran Homes, said.

"These people are local people, their families are here, and family is the best medicine to keep anybody going," Cordin said.

Madison Care and Rehabilitation is not the only facility being closed by Black Hills Receiver. Another nursing home in Mobridge could be closed as well.

Many residents will be moved to other facilities run by the company.