Sapulpa nursing home closes due to staff shortage
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — The Ranch Terrace Nursing Home located in Sapulpa, Okla., announced that it will be closing on August 15.
The nursing home is unable to maintain legally required staffing levels.
All residents that are currently living at Ranch Terrace will be transferred to other nursing homes or living arrangements.
This facility was originally built to serve up to 85 residents. When the announcement of closure came, there were only 30 residents.
“In a perfect world, this facility would have 50 skilled nursing professionals working here, which would enable us to have our full occupancy rate of 85 residents. That’s what it looks like when our facility is truly meeting the needs of this community and our vulnerable seniors. Unfortunately, our workforce pool is so diminished that hiring qualified staffers has become impossible. As of last month, we could only field 15 full time employees. Without the staff, we can’t service our residents. Without our residents, we don’t have a business. We can’t survive at this occupancy," said Scott Rogers, co-owner of Ranch Terrace.
Steve Buck, President and CEO of Care Providers talked about how this closure represents a disturbing trend. He says both state and federal policy makers should be taking notice.
Buck said, "The future of long-term care in Oklahoma is seriously jeopardized by this ongoing workforce crisis. That crisis is fueled by two factors. The first is pay..." he continued on. "Second, we are not creating enough interest in skilled nursing as a profession or creating the pathways we need for training and employment."
“The human cost of failing to address this workforce crisis is real and it is scary. When a facility closes, as is happening in Sapulpa, many residents are moved to other facilities that are far away from family and friends. Others are moved back into residential living environments that cannot fully meet their medical needs. Neither outcome honors the commitment we have made as a community to adequately caring for and respecting our vulnerable seniors. Our Legislature understands that which is why they have approved $4.5 million in federal ARPA funds for training long term care staff. That is a positive step towards a long-term solution, but our short-term funding needs have reached a crisis level," said Buck.
