Troubled North Haven Nursing Home May Close

Clintonville Manor, a North Haven nursing home, will host a public hearing with the state's Department of Social Services (DSS) on Tuesday, January 3 to discuss shutting down the facility with residents and administrators. 

According to an article published in the Post-Chronicle earlier this week, Clintonville Manor's administrator, Melissa Simonetti, contacted the state with a request to close the home on December 1. 

From her letter to Christopher LaVigne, acting director of Certificate of Need and Rate Setting:

“The decision to seek closure approval was difficult as we know that the relocation of residents from this facility will be disruptive and the jobs of our 85 dedicated full- or part-time employees will be affected. We have been unable to make the facility financially viable due to low occupancy and our efforts to sell the facility have been unsuccessful.”

Central to the decision to close was the facility's inability to secure reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid. 

In December of 2010, Clintonville Manor and entered into a Special Focus Facilities (SFF) program designed to improve its operations.

SFF facilities, according to documentation filed at the time, have "more problems than other nursing homes (about twice the average number of 
deficiencies), more serious problems than most other nursing homes (including harm or injury experienced by residents), and a pattern of serious problems that has persisted over a long period of time."

Prior to the notification, a state visit turned up evidence of misconduct in the home ranging from unapproved smoking, failure to mitigate risks of sexual activity between residents, and cases of nurses and administrators mistreating clients. 

Clintonville Manor replaced its administrator, assistant administrator, and some staff in 2010 in an attempt to address the findings.

Currently, the facility has a total of 84 residents, none of whom will be moved to other homes until the state approves the closure. 

The public is welcome to attend the January 3 session at the home, and can write or email the Department of Social Services at the following address:

Mail: Rich Wysocki, Office of CON & Rate Setting, Department of Social Services, 25 Sigourney St., Hartford, 06106-5033

Email: con-ratesetting.dss@ct.gov