John Fonfara

Fonfara: Wethersfield Health Care Center Should Not Close

Nursing home cares for 180 residents, 266 employees

WETHERSFIELD—Today State Senator John Fonfara (D-Hartford) expressed strong opposition to the proposed closing of Wethersfield Health Care Center, a skilled nursing facility that is home to about 180 residents and employs almost 266 workers.

Senator Fonfara attended a public hearing on the proposed closing last Thursday.

“Many residents of the Wethersfield Health Care Center have lived here for a very long time. It is their home, a place where family and friends come to visit. Most residents came from the local area, and their families still live nearby. About 40 percent of the Center’s residents previously lived Wethersfield, and many others in neighboring Hartford,” said Senator Fonfara.

He continued, “Healthy relationships with family and friends are a critical component of a person’s overall health, just as much as medicine and a doctor’s care. The staff at Wethersfield Health Care Center is like a family of its own. One woman has worked here for 29 years in the laundry room. It would be a shame to see the Center close, its 180 residents displaced to facilities far away and its 266 employees put out of work. I am working closely with the Wethersfield legislative delegation, including Sen. Doyle, Rep. Morin and Rep. Guerrera, as well as Wethersfield and Hartford local officials to find a way to keep this community nursing home open.”

HealthBridge Management, which owns and operates Wethersfield Health Care Center, has filed a certificate of need with the state, requesting that the Center be closed. The company cites a declining patient population in recent years as a cause of operating deficits.