LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (WUPA) -- A top-rated Gwinnett County nursing home is shutting down, forcing residents and their families to look for other options.
Tony Perrigan gets emotional when he thinks about the care his mother, Cledie Marie Perrigan, received at Northside Gwinnett Extended Care.
"We were blessed by Northside Extended Care. They did a great job," said Perrigan. "I consider them family, because we were so close to them," he said.
Two weeks before she died on August 17 at the age of 92, the nursing home announced it was closing the 25-year-old facility down, and they would have to find another place for her.
"I was shocked and angered," Perrigan said. "It's just disappointing to see that the best nursing home in the county is being closed."
Northside Hospital confirmed it was working to transition its 21 residents to other facilities, indicating it made the decision to address a bed shortage at Northside Hospital Gwinnett to support an increasing number of inpatients.
It's also offering all 70 employees other opportunities within the system.
"I understand that the hospital needs more facilities or building of new facilities, more beds, but, it's just beyond me that it's anything beyond a cost issue," said Perrigan.
Families are concerned residents won't receive quality care at other places, and the closure will separate them from the caregivers they've bonded with.
"Gwinnett Extended Care was top of the list, in terms of ratings. No one else measures up to that rating," Perrigan said.
He and others agree a broken healthcare industry and the high cost of medical care is to blame. "We don't really have programs in this country, other than Medicaid, to help support them, and then Medicaid pays lesser rates," he said.
For any families dealing with transitions, he recommends visiting nursing homes. He said, "You can quickly determine, 'Are they kept clean? Are the patients kept clean? Is the food quality there?' Then, you have to stay very personally involved with that facility and your loved one to make sure they are getting what they need."
Perrigan also recommends families check nursing home ratings on the Medicare website.
Northside also mentioned it is building a new patient tower on campus, which will create more beds for the hospital.
The extended care center is set to close on October 14.
First published on September 9, 2022 / 10:42 AM
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