SNOHOMISH — Jim Mock Jr. said it hurt, but he had no choice.
One by one, he helped address the envelopes. One by one, he signed the letters announcing the closure of Parkway Nursing Center in Snohomish.
Sometime within the next 60 days, the 109-bed nursing home his family has operated since 1984 will close its doors. A total of 52 elderly and frail people will have to find new homes.
"This is like losing a child or something," Mock said Tuesday.
Mock is president of the family-owned HMH Management Co., which owns Parkway and two other care centers in Snohomish and Skagit counties.
On Monday, HMH alerted the state Department of Social and Health Services that Parkway would close for financial reasons. The Snohomish home has been losing as much as $90,000 a month, Mock said.
David Thomas was shocked to learn that he and his family would have to find a new place for their 94-year-old father to live. Heeseler Thomas, who has Alzheimer’s disease, has lived at Parkway for about three years. His wife used to live there, too, and his church is nearby, his son said.
"That’s his home. He’s comfortable with the personnel there. It’ll be tough on him," said David Thomas, who lives in Sequim.
"Change is really tough when you’re frail and elderly," said Bob McClintock, regional administrator for residential care services for DSHS.
But there are open beds and facilities willing to take new residents, he said.
State social workers will begin assessing what kind of care Parkway residents need and will talk to them and their families about where they’d like to relocate.
"We’ll try to offer the best possible solution. The nice thing is that at least we have 60 days," said Terry Marker, regional administrator for home and community services for DSHS.
Mock blamed Parkway’s financial woes on a combination of factors, including rising expenses, declining numbers of residents and reduced state subsidies for Medicaid patients.
"All sorts of costs keep going up, and the state hasn’t stepped in to address it," he said.
The closure comes after a difficult year for Parkway and HMH.
In March, state officials and police investigated reports that a 74-year-old male Alzheimer’s patient had been sexually assaulted with a hairbrush by a nursing assistant. A few weeks later, Bill Nold, 91, died from injuries after being dropped onto the floor by a Parkway worker.
An investigation by the state showed that Nold fell because the brake on his bed had not been maintained, allowing it to roll while he was being lifted.
Other problems with substandard care were found at Parkway, as well as at HMH’s other Snohomish County nursing home, Lynnwood Manor. The problems led to fines and scrutiny.
A computer analysis by The Herald found that HMH paid $60,000 in fines over the past three years — more than any other long-term care provider in Washington. A similar analysis of federal data showed that Lynnwood Manor tied at 21st place for the greatest number of performance deficiencies found at nearly 9,200 homes surveyed across the nation from January 2000 to April 2003.
Mock on Tuesday said the bad publicity contributed to Parkway’s financial problems. A total of 18 residents left in the two weeks after publication of The Herald’s analysis, he said.
HMH plans to continue operating its home in Lynnwood. Mock provided results of a recent inspection by the state, which found only a few problems, most of them minor.
Parkway’s closing is a warning of larger troubles for long-term care in Washington, said Brendan Williams, executive director of the Washington Health Care Association, a group that represents nursing home operators.
Since 1998, more than 30 nursing homes have closed in the state, and more than 2,000 long-term care beds have been lost, Williams said. Reductions in state funding are playing a big role.
Roughly two-thirds of nursing home residents rely on Medicaid to pay for their care, but that doesn’t cover the cost because reimbursement rates are set at 1999 levels.
The state in 2001 calculated that nursing homes are underpaid an average of $13.79 a day for each Medicaid patient. That means a nursing home with 50 Medicaid patients shoulders more than $250,000 a year in unsubsidized care costs.
And lawmakers continue to make cuts, Williams said. Gov. Gary Locke has proposed trimming another $11.3 million in state nursing home subsidies this year as part of a plan to balance the budget.
"All nursing homes, to some degree, are teetering on the brink of the abyss," he said. "We are just a closure or two away from really having a crisis on our hands."
State Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, said more nursing home closures should be expected as families find different options for long-term care, including adult family homes.
"There are empty beds all over. We need some condensing in the industry. It doesn’t make sense to have nursing homes with empty beds. Some are going to have to close," Dunshee said.
He said he hasn’t decided whether he agrees with Locke’s decision to shift more money away from nursing homes, but he does know there is little likelihood that more money will be found.
"We would love to increase funding," he said. "The problem is there is a lack of money all around. It’s part of the ugly budget decisions we have to make."
The children of Heeseler Thomas were struggling Tuesday to come up with options for their father.
"He used to visit his wife (at Parkway) and lived next door at Hearthside Assisted Living. It was an automatic. He knew the caregivers and got extra special care," his son Greg Thomas said.
"He really has his routines there. He’s very comfortable," he said.
Marker from DSHS said most nursing home residents do well after overcoming their initial anxiety over moving, although it can be especially difficult on those who have complicated medical conditions.
But the experience can be positive, Marker said. Residents may look at housing options they had never considered before. "We’ve seen people flourish in other settings," he said.
Marker worked closely with about 10 residents who were relocated to an Edmonds facility after Lynnwood-based Alderwood Assisted Living was forced to close its doors in July.
"We had a few who were not satisfied with their placement, but we worked with them," he said. "Just because we find a placement, it doesn’t mean we’re going to walk away."
Reporter Scott North: 425-339-3431 or north@heraldnet.com.
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