CLARIFICATION: A quote in the sixth paragraph is only attributed to Genesis Healthcare. It was not attributed to the Diocese of Bridgeport nor Manan Shukla.
TRUMBULL – The Town of Trumbull is looking to help the nearly 300 workers at St. Joseph Center First Selectman who are being laid off from the senior living home after its parent company announced last week it is permanently closing the facility.
In an update on the situation Friday, May 30, First Selectman Vicki Tesoro stated that Rina Bakalar, the town’s director of economic and community development will be reaching out to the CT Department of Labor to be sure employment services are in place to assist staff that are being dislocated.
As it relates to the future disposition of the 6448 Main St. property that housing the center, Tesoro said “we will be discussing next steps with Genesis and the Diocese of Bridgeport who own the adjacent properties.”
“This site has been home to hundreds of residents,” she added. “Any closure and transition of the property needs to be planned with the utmost care and concern for our community.”
St. Joseph’s Center has been serving Trumbull for more than 50 years with an array of services such as: independent living, short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, and hospice services. They have offered 23 single resident care rooms for independent living seniors. The resident care rooms have been eligible for Medicaid coverage. Some news reports pointed to the state’s lack of sufficient state Medicaid funding was a reason for the closure.
Genesis Healthcare, which has operated the nursing home, explained the reason for the closure in a statement last week.
“After careful consideration, we have made a difficult decision to permanently close St. Joseph’s Center,” the statement read. “The safety, care and comfort of our patients is our priority, and while we have made extensive repairs and upgrades to the facility over the course of the past several months, unfortunately, the Center still requires significant renovations and structural improvements for which we were unable to get the necessary waivers from the State and CMS in order to comply with the required timelines.
“Regrettably, this and other external factors including inadequate state Medicaid funding make it financially impossible to continue operating the facility.”
The date of the closure will be determined once Genesis receives necessary approvals from the state. “We are working with the Connecticut Department of Health to develop a closure plan and comply with all requirements,” according to the statement. “We value our patients, residents, caregivers, and team members, and we are truly grateful for their continued support.“
The nursing home has had to evacuate residents on several occasions due to safety concerns, Tesoro said in a statement. “I am aware of the recent problems at St. Joseph’s Center, and I have been very concerned for the health and safety of its residents,” she wrote. “As we previously reported, residents have been evacuated from the facility twice in the past few months.
Yesterday (May 29), I received a copy of a letter from an attorney for Genesis, the parent company of St. Joseph’s Center, to the CT Department of Social Services requesting to close the facility. The CT Department of Social Services and the CT Department of Public Health continue to have oversight over this matter.”
The center property includes three buildings, with the bulk of it being the 269-bed facility. The property has been appraised at $4.2 million in 2024. It was last sold in 2006 for $10.5 million by Connecticut Holdings to St. Joseph Propco LLC. In 2023, GMF Capital Corp. became co-owner with St. Joseph.
During a February 2023 hearing before the state Appropriations Committee regarding the governor’s 2023 budget revisions for Connecticut nursing homes, former Center Executive Director Helen Byron laid out the impact staffing shortages due to the impact of Covid had on the center. And that was with 300 employees at the time.
