3 more Maine nursing homes announce closures: Coalition urging lawmakers for more money

WINTHROP, Maine (WMTW) - Heritage Rehabilitation and Living Center in Winthrop is one of three nursing homes in 2024 announcing their pending closure.

In the last 10 years, 25 nursing homes or long-term care facilities have closed.

The Maine Health Care Association unveiled the “Who Will Care” coalition at the state house. The coalition is urging lawmakers to fill an estimated $100 million funding (state and federal) shortfall.

“I have great concerns about the nursing homes as the population ages that there won’t be enough nursing homes for our aging population,” said Ben Hawkins, the director of public affairs for The Maine Health Care Association.

The Maine Health Care Association, along with nearly two dozen Maine hospitals, are calling on Gov. Janet Mills and lawmakers who are crafting the budget to kick in more money to keep the long-term care facilities open.

The governor has committed $3 million for long-term care facilities in her supplemental budget.

“That’s woefully inadequate. The governor needs to partner with legislative leaders and members of the appropriations committee to increase that state pool of money up to $31 million to draw down the federal money, creating $96.5 million to fill the funding need of facilities,” said Lisa Harvey-McPherson, a registered nurse at Northern Light Health.

The coalition says the lack of funding will result in further closures.

The closures are having a spill-over effect on Maine hospitals that are now housing patients who should be in nursing homes.

“We might have 60 or 70 patients every day at Maine Medical Center who need to get to long-term care but can’t for one reason or another, so they’re stuck in the hospital, and those beds are not available to other patients who need critical care,” said Dan Meyer, the chief of hospital medicine at Maine Medical Center.

While the closure process does take time, as lawmakers decide how much money to budget, people who work and live at Heritage Rehabilitation and Living Center in Winthrop are left to wonder where they will end up.