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Nursing home in Washington County to close leaving 20 residents without housing

Sunrise Care Facility in Jonesport announced it's closure Thursday but says staff, families, and residents were told of the closure on Wednesday. Officials from the nursing home say providers are helping residents find new homes.

JONESPORT (NEWS CENTER Maine) — A nursing home in Washington County is closing its doors leaving 20 residents with no housing and 66 employees without jobs.

Sunrise Care Facility in Jonesport announced its closure Thursday, but says staff, families, and residents were told of the closure on Wednesday. Officials from the nursing home say providers are helping residents find new homes.

DownEast Community Hospital CEO, Dennis Welsh, said in a statement:

“It is with deep regret that we announce the upcoming closure of Sunrise Care Facility. This decision by the Board of Trustees of Down East Community Hospital was not made lightly and was based on long time losses, low census, insufficient MaineCare reimbursements and increased regulations. As with other long-term care facilities, Sunrise Care Facility (SCF) in Jonesport has experienced many obstacles over the years such as increasing costs and non-sustainable reimbursement, which made operating a small facility like SCF financially challenging. Those things, coupled with an aging building, frequently brought about discussions on the sustainability of the facility. Each year the Administration and Board made difficult decisions on how to balance our obligation to fulfill our mission with our commitment to SCF, its residents, and its staff."

The official date to close the doors of the facility is August 31, 2018.

Nursing homes in Calais and Lubec were also closed in recent years, making this the third nursing home closure in Washington County.

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