Elderwood nursing home at risk of closure in North Creek

NORTH CREEK, N.Y. ( NEWS10 ) — Nearly a dozen New York nursing homes have closed in recent years and one North Country community is about to lose one of theirs.

“Where would everybody go? It’s like you get old and they throw you away. 27th of April I will be 98. You get old and you’re good for nothing.” That is the statement that one resident sent to New York Governor Kathy Hochul when it comes to losing her home the Elderwood Skilled Nursing Facility at North Creek.

“I was actually shocked to hear that, and I couldn’t believe it was true,” said Judy Stafford whose mother resides at Elderwood.

Nursing Director Breann Parker says the facility is much more than just a nursing home. “It’s really generational. We have mothers and daughters working side by side here, year after year. Your resident isn’t just your resident, it’s your neighbor,” stated Parker.

“I keep saying are we going to wake up, it’s just a bad dream. Because this has been a whirlwind,” exclaimed Assistant Director of Nursing and Education.

And that whirlwind has folks concerned over what’s next for their loved ones, and where they will go. “I don’t know what we’ll do. I really don’t,” said Stafford.

The next closest skilled nursing facility is over 30 miles away.

Officials say Elderwood is not in active closure, but it is not too far off. They say they filed for a multi-year grant to help provide the nursing home sustainability, but it has dried up. “We had specific goals we had to meet to become sustainable we only received one year of funding for that Grant,” said Heide Schempp, Administrator of Elderwood at North Creek. She says they needed more time.  “Despite the fact we met all of our interim goals and all the interim targets we actually exceeded many of them we still didn’t get the funding to get the next in the goal,” finished Schempp.

Schempp says they have applied for more help from the New York State Department of Health (DOH) NEWS10 reached out to the DOH who acknowledges they received the application for grant access, the vital access provider program also known as VAP. They say they are evaluating the circumstances and are reviewing the application.

“We cannot abandon our seniors. It’s time to prioritize their care and ensure they receive the support they deserve. Closure of the facility would result in a critical loss of access to essential health care services in the community, putting undue strain on families and caregivers,” said Assembly member Matt Simpson.

Town supervisor Kevin Bean says his hands are tied but he will not give up hope on keeping the nursing home open for the nearly 60 residents and 95 staffers that make up the facility. In fact, he has a statement for the governor of his own.  “I’m asking you please consider funding the VAP funding for North Creek Elderwood thank you,” said Bean.

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