By By JOHN EBY / Niles Daily Star
DOWAGIAC – After revoking its license and suspending Medicaid payments, the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) appointed a temporary manager for Dowagiac Nursing Home and turned over its closing to a transition team for distressed facilities.
"I can't stress enough that (Dowagiac Nursing Home's closing) places a burden on family members, but we're obligated under public health code that residents live in safe conditions," MDCH spokesman T.J. Bucholz told the Leader Publications Monday.
Bucholz said the state acted "due primarily to a recent inspection" which found 28 federal and 19 state violations which placed residents "in immediate jeopardy." He said the average violations detected is six.
"Dowagiac is not like Detroit," Bucholz acknowledged, with other facilities a few blocks away. "We're cognizant of the inconvenience (the closing) places on family members," but as it existed, Dowagiac Nursing Home "was clearly not a safe place to be."
Bucholz acknowledged that the facility, which had 120 residents and 150 employees, faced "significant financial problems" exceeding $1 million.
There had been some interested buyers, but Bucholz was not aware of any which have not withdrawn.
Bucholz said the decision to close a nursing home is not based on one inspection and that facilities are given opportunities to submit remediation plans.
"They were given plenty of opportunities to improve," he said. "This has absolutely zero to do with the state budget and everything to do with protecting the health and safety of residents."
He said beds allocated to Dowagiac Nursing Home would be returned to a "pool," from which they could be applied to a reopening, an expansion or construction of a new facility.
Transferring residents will take the transition team the next three to four weeks, Bucholz said.
He also said potential charges could be reviewed with the Attorney General.