West Hartford rehabilitation center files with state for closure

Hughes Health and Rehabilitation, a skilled nursing home that has been a fixture in West Hartford for half a century, has told the state it wants to close because rising costs and a trend toward home care have eroded the home’s profitability.

“The decision to close Hughes Health and Rehabilitation, Inc. comes after numerous attempts to revitalize the center’s declining census,”owner Sam Flaxman told residents and their families by letter. “The declining census as well as staffing needs and excessive cost increases have directly attributed to increased losses not covered by Connecticut’s reimbursement program and the growing trend towards the use of home and community-based services.”

State and industry officials said Hughes has placement coordinators who will help families move to new facilities, But Hughes owner Sam Flaxman said no resident is required to move immediately and no one will be transferred or discharged involuntarily.

Hughes filed a petition to close of the home with the state Department Social Services department on March 30. according to a letter from the company president that was shared with The Courant.

A February 2023 occupancy report on the state DSS website says the facility had 87 residents at that time.

The state commissioner has authority to either grant or deny the petition for closure and has 30 days to do so, the Flaxman letter said.

The letter to residents and families said the petition for closure must be approved by DSS and may take up to thirty days, so “placement coordinators will be on staff to assist you and your loved one with alternative options.”

“While you are not required to move at this time, our placement coordinators will be available to ensure a seamless transition should you choose to voluntarily transfer. Please be rest assured that no resident shall be involuntarily transferred or discharged from the facility pursuant to state and federal law. Additionally, all residents have the right to appeal any proposed transfer or discharge,” the letter said.

The letter also said that, according to state and federal law, there may be a public hearing regarding the closure scheduled within 30 thirty days of the filing.

“We will inform you of the hearing date should DSS require us to do so. Additionally, we will be meeting with residents and families individually to ensure you are kept informed of the process. The following is the contact information for the State Ombudsman and local legal aid office who may also be contacted regarding the closure process and your rights.”

The letter was cc-ed to Mairead Painter, Connecticut Long Term Care Ombudsman.

Matt Barrett of the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities, a trade group representing 151 skilled nursing facilities in Connecticut, said, in an emailed statement, “to begin with, for even the most ardent advocate for rightsizing long term care in Connecticut, there is nothing to smile about when a facility that was known as one of the highest quality skilled nursing facilities in the country is closing.

“There is trauma for residents who must leave a place they called home, sometimes for years.  Residents lose their familiar caregivers when they transfer to other facilities. Staff lose their jobs. It’s a major disruption,” Barrett said.

Barrett noted that Hughes “consistently achieved the highest rating of 5 star for years from the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. It had previously achieved a Gold Quality award from the American Health Care Association for its consistent high quality.”

“The Flaxman Family deserves so much praise for the high quality care provided at Hughes for decades,” Barrett said.

“For more than 50 years, Hughes Health & Rehabilitation has been part of the fabric of the West Hartford community. Our facility, located at 29 Highland Street, is part of the town’s history as well as the location of a state-of-the-art facility that provides an environment conducive to the resident’s recovery,” the Hughes website says.

Hughes Health & Rehabilitation won a national award for excellence in the long term and post-acute care profession in 2016.

The 2016 Gold – Excellence in Quality Award is given by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. Hughes Health & Rehabilitation was one of three providers nationwide to receive the award, according to a press release.

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