Hallworth House Nursing Home in Providence Closing
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
Hallworth House, a 57-bed nursing home on the East Side of Providence announced Wednesday that it has filed a plan to cease operations with the state’s Department of Health. The closure is anticipated to occur by the end of August.
Hallworth House is the second facility to close. As GoLocal reported in April, Hopkins Manor -- located in North Providence and locally owned -- filed for receivership. It is a 200-bed facility.
For Hallworth, the company had been in a multi-year downward economic spiral.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“The facility had lost more than $1.3 million in the last two years while maintaining high standards of care, but the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible to continue,” said Dr. Patricia Nolan, chair of the Hallworth House board and former Director of Health in Rhode Island.
The 23 residents of the home, their families, and the staff were notified Tuesday of the home’s decision to close.
The building, according to city records is owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Providence and is valued at $3.85 million.
“We will work with every family to find a suitable home for their loved ones,” said Stephanie Igoe, Hallworth House’s administrator. “We deeply appreciate the dedication and professionalism of our staff during this difficult period. They will receive a generous severance package, and our assistance in finding new positions elsewhere.”
The home had 51 residents in mid-April, and rigorous infection-control protocols in place when its first resident was diagnosed with COVID-19. Twenty-eight were eventually diagnosed with the disease, 12 of whom have died. Despite a sufficient stockpile of personal protective equipment, some 20 staff members were infected, but all have since recovered, Igoe said.
Founded in 1968 after a bequest from Robert Q. Hallworth, the home maintained a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Medicare.gov Nursing Home Compare and was named one of the top four nursing homes in the state by U. S. News and World Report.