West Sandusky nursing home to shut down

SANDUSKY — The Sandusky campus of Genacross Lutheran Services on Bardshar Road will shut down by Feb. 11, forcing 43 nursing home residents to relocate.The facility, located at 795 Bardshar Road, has 50 employees. Most of them will lose their jobs, although their skills should help many find new posts, said Kari Bucher, manager of marketing and corporate communications for Genacross Lutheran Services.Employees who stick around until they are no longer needed will receive a severance package, she said.Meanwhile, Genacross will concentrate on helping their residents find new homes."We are reaching out to other nursing homes in the area," she said.The business, once known as Lutheran Memorial Home, must be kept open for an additional 90 days under Medicaid regulations to give residents time to move. If all of the residents leave before Feb. 11, the nursing home will close earlier, Bucher said.Bucher said four related issues will force the nursing home to close:• The nursing home has been losing money consistently for several years, to the point where it is hurting the entire Genacross organization.• The number of residents has steadily decreased. There are 43 residents, but the facility can house 56.• Building renovations would cost millions of dollars.• The Sandusky area has an abundance of licensed nursing home beds, which creates a tough business environment.Genacross executives decided they couldn't absorb the losses any longer, she said."In the uncertain healthcare environment we operate in today, we as an organization need to put ourselves in a competitive and viable financial position," she said."It was a difficult decision," she said. "We have been blessed with many years of serving people in the Sandusky area."Headquartered in Toledo, Genacross Lutheran Services is a nonprofit operating facilities in Ohio and Michigan. Only the Sandusky campus will close.Lutheran Memorial Home opened in 1979, according to the Genacross website. It was opened by nine local congregations: Resurrection, St. John, St. Paul, Trinity and Zion Evangelical churches in Sandusky; Grace in Castalia; St. John in Bellevue; St. John in Monroeville, and Zion in Huron.Genacross entered the picture in 2000, coming in on a management contract to help run it. Genacross took over as owner in 2005, Bucher said.Bucher said no decision has been made yet on what Genacross will do with its 11.7-acre Sandusky campus after it closes."At this point, there are no immediate plans to develop or sell the property," Bucher said.Genacross also has not decided yet what to do with its license for the beds.In reaction to the closing, a public "remembrance and thanksgiving" service will be hosted at the nursing home at 2 p.m. Sunday.Reach reporter Tom Jackson at jackson@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksontom.The Genacross Lutheran Services nursing home on Bardshar Road will soon close.