Waterbury Nursing Home To Close, Lay Off All Workers

WATERBURY, CT — A Waterbury nursing home will close permanently, forcing all residents to find new homes and laying off its entire workforce. A court is ordering Waterbury Gardens to close after a nearly four-year process, according to a document filed with the state Department of Labor.

The closure is anticipated later this year and will result in the termination of 125 workers, The Connecticut Post reported. The facility had 27 residents as of July, all of whom will have to find new living arrangements.

A Hartford court ruled Wednesday that the nursing home must close for good. The state took over Waterbury Gardens in 2019.

The order came following pushback from residents and employees who said the nursing home could be saved.

Katherine Sacks, a New Haven attorney appointed receiver of Waterbury Gardens, said in a recent report that the facility has numerous issues and is costing taxpayers $1 million annually to operate, according to WTNH News-8.

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Sacks has said that severe staff shortages and problems with the building also make it not possible to keep Waterbury Gardens open, according to The Connecticut Post.

State law requires that employees be provided with notice at least 60 calendar days in advance of the facility's closure. The exact closure date has not been determined.

"It may be that Waterbury Gardens will remain open longer than sixty days in order to discharge all of our residents safely and in compliance with all applicable law," Sacks wrote.

Waterbury Gardens will assist residents in finding new homes.