Turlock is losing a beloved nursing home. Financial viability, workforce challenges cited
Brandel Manor nursing home and adjacent Cypress Place Assisted Living are closing their doors in Turlock.
A notice on Brandel Manor’s website says the 145-bed nursing home and Cypress Assisted Living on North Olive Avenue “will no longer be accepting referrals for post-acute care, long-term care and assisted living.”
Residents of the associated Covenant Living retirement center were notified in letters Monday, assuring them the upcoming closures affect only Brandel and Cypress. The facilities won’t close immediately but most likely in March, because a state law requires the care facilities to give 60 days notice to allow residents and families to make arrangements for transfer to other facilities.
Some employees were notified about the decision Monday. Families and representatives of patients at Brandel and Cypress can attend a meeting Thursday at 6 p.m. to learn more about the closure and ask questions.
According to the website, Covenant Living skilled nursing care and assisted living are not affected and the CovenantCare Home Health and Hospice Agency will continue to operate.
Brandel is owned by Illinois-based Covenant Living West, which is related to the former ownership of Emanuel Medical Center and to Covenant Living in Turlock.
Randy Eilts, a public relations spokesman for Covenant Living Communities, said in a 5 p.m. statement Tuesday that the board of directors made a difficult decision to close Brandel and Cypress.
“Following a comprehensive analysis, it is no longer financially sustainable to remain in operations,” the statement said. “We reviewed all aspects of these stand-alone facilities, including, but not limited to the age of the building, operating costs and workforce challenges.”
Covenant added that residents, families and employees have received notices regarding the upcoming closures.
Monday’s letter to residents cited long-term financial viability and workforce challenges as factors in closing Brandel and Cypress. Covenant will work with residents and families to find suitable placement in other facilities to meet their needs, the letter said.
An estimated 80 to 100 patients are at Brandel Manor. Cypress has 49 licensed beds, but only a percentage of rooms are occupied. About 100 Brandel employees will be looking for other jobs.
In more recent years, Brandel has gone from being a highly rated nursing home in the Medicare comparison system to a current two-star quality rating compared with the 3.5-star average in California.
Cited for a serious patient fall
The California Department of Public Health cited Brandel for regulatory deficiencies after a patient in September 2022 fell 3 to 4 feet to the floor as two nursing assistants transferred the patient from a wheelchair to a bed. A sling on the lift device became detached. An examination at the hospital determined the patient suffered a subdural hemotoma, or a collection of blood outside the brain.
Another state survey found Brandel didn’t meet a requirement for having a registered nurse on duty at least for eight hours, seven days a week. The agency found the requirement wasn’t met for 12 of 31 days reviewed in August 2022.
Brandel has been named in several lawsuits in Stanislaus Superior Court since 2021 alleging personal injury and other charges. A general survey of the Brandel facility last month is said to have revealed other deficiencies, but a state report has not been released.
One employee said Brandel’s closure will be a serious loss for the community. The nursing home, over its long history, had a reputation for personalized care, strong neighborhood ties and a relationship with hospitals in Stanislaus County.
“I feel heartbroken and feel like I had a relationship with them for almost two decades,” said Rachel Young, a nurse who has worked off and on for Brandel for 16 years. “It is devastating to us on a personal level. We will find other jobs but the patients that live there are losing their homes and their (Brandel) family. They have lost so much and now they are going to lose more.”
Brandel Manor and Cypress were formerly owned by Emanuel Medical Center, but Covenant took over operation of the care facilities with the sale of Emanuel to Tenet Healthcare in 2014.
This story was originally published January 17, 2024 at 7:00 AM.
