A nonprofit nursing home in East Providence is asking for “Christmas miracle” donations to help it stay open.
Between now and next October, Linn Health & Rehabilitation is looking for $1.2 million. The nursing home, which first opened in the 1970s, says it has struggled to keep up with expenses in the last 10 years due to high inflation, rising food ad utility costs, temporary staffing rates and low Medicaid reimbursement rates.
“Most of our residents are on Medicaid and don’t have families who can take care of them, ” said Richard Gamache, CEO of Aldersbridge Communities, a nonprofit organization that operates Linn Health, in a statement. “The gap is the cost of caring for people on state Medicaid. Medicaid money is a 50/50 split between the state and federal government. The state’s plan is to increase our reimbursement in October. We need it sooner than that. ”
The struggles of Linn Health & Rehabilitation highlight the issues nursing homes all over the country are facing. Linn’s Medicaid reimbursement rate averages $255 per patient per day, according to Jamie L. Sanford, administrator for the nursing home. But it costs $411 to care for each patient per day. He said that Linn and other nursing home are on “life support, operationally speaking. ”
“No one wants to leave Linn, and no one wants us to be sold to another organization, ” Sanford said. “During this season of holiday miracles, we’re working to find donors who believe in what we’re doing now and for our future.”
As seen in the Boston Business Journal:
https://www.bizjournals.com/rhodeisland/news/2023/12/01/linn-health-rehabilitation-donations-providence.html