The news of Chula Vista's Fredericka Manor Care Center closure has left nearly 200 employees without jobs and senior residents scrambling to find new housing, creating a tumultuous period for at-risk community members and their families. As reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, the facility's operator, Front Porch, announced the decision in mid-June, citing financial losses, rising operating costs, and changes in skilled nursing reimbursement and staffing as the main reasons for the closure, slated for August 13, 2023.
Following the announcement, families of the residents were informed via letters that they would receive help in developing transfer plans for their loved ones. At the time of the announcement, the facility housed 79 residents, with 20 having since relocated, but 59 still needing to find a new place to live, according to ABC 10.
A total of 185 staff members, including 78 certified nursing assistants, will be affected by the closure, and the layoffs are expected to take place in phases. Staffing shortages and increased labor costs have contributed significantly to the financial difficulties faced by Fredericka Manor Care Center. Front Porch has been forced to rely on temporary staff hired through agencies, which allegedly further increased costs and impacted the care residents received.
This closure does raise concerns regarding the quality of care provided by the facility, as The San Diego Union-Tribune reported in May that Fredericka Manor had the second-highest number of deficiencies among all of San Diego County’s skilled nursing facilities from 2019 to 2022. California Department of Public Health data showed that state inspectors found 101 deficiencies at Fredericka Manor Care Center during this four-year period, leading to two enforcement actions.
Tony Chicotel, a senior staff attorney with the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, explained that nursing home staff turnover has been an ongoing issue for decades, but it worsened during the pandemic as people left their jobs to care for family members or find work in other industries. The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living found that, from the start of the pandemic to April 2022, the number of nursing home employees nationwide had fallen by 244,600. Their mid-year report last month revealed that 77% of nursing homes still face moderate to high levels of staffing shortages, with only 3% being fully staffed.
