CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – All four nursing home facilities owned by Northeast Health Group have officially closed.
A spokesperson confirmed with 22News that the last three facilities closed Thursday, about two months before their approved closing date of June 6.
22 News crews spotted people moving boxes outside the Governor's Center in Westfield and the Chapin Center in Springfield on Friday. This comes about 60 days since Northeast Health Group announced the closure of all four facilities.
“We have heard that residents and staff have been told that in fact the intended closing date was April 6. We're trying to kind of push back and say no, residents need more time to figure out where they're going to move,” said Brianna Zimmerman, Systems Change Advocate from the Stavros Center for Independent Living.
Stavros filed a complaint with the state Attorney General's office against Northeast Health Group alleging residents were pressured to leave early.
At a hearing with DPH in March, a representative from Northeast Health Group said they were closing because of a state requirement enacted last year. This limited the number of people to two per room, resulting in a loss of $7 million in revenue.
22News spoke with Springfield Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris before the DPH confirmed the closure, “What we're concerned about is those residents who were housed at Chapin and making sure they've been moved to places that take care of the needs them.”
22News once again reached out to Northeast Health Group for comment, but it did not respond. They have not responded to our requests for comment since February 7.
