Abby Gardens Healthcare Center Announces Planned Closure

SAN DIEGO, Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Clairemont Healthcare & Wellness Centre, LLC, doing business as Abby Gardens Healthcare Center (the "Facility"), is a 99-bed Skilled Nursing Facility ("SNF") located at 8060 Frost Street, San Diego, California. The Facility primarily cares for patients admitted from local acute hospitals to assist with nursing and rehabilitation needs and either returning patients to their pre-hospitalization place of living or cares for patients on a long-term basis.

Abby Gardens Healthcare Center (the "Facility") has decided to voluntarily

close its skilled nursing facility.

The reason for the closure is two-fold; (1) A purchase and sale agreement has been consummated between the Facility and Rady Children's Hospital, San Diego. It is expected that Rady Children's Hospital will utilize this SNF for the care of pediatric patients after the closure process is completed. (2) The Facility's negative long-term outlook with the current and projected ongoing disruption in the labor market and the inflationary wage pressures.

Pursuant to Health and Safety Code section 1336.2(g) and Assembly Bill (AB) 275 – LTC Facilities Closures, the Facility has received approval on August 12, 2022, for its Closure & Relocation Plan ("Plan") from the California Department of Public Health ("CDPH").

The Facility has communicated and provided the appropriate notices to all required constituents including patients, patient representatives, Long-Term Care Ombudsman, and various other parties affected by this planned closure.

The Facility's Plan will include safe and orderly patient transfers and intends for discharges to be to nearby or local suitable locations over a several month-period beginning in August 2022, with the planned completed relocation and closure process being completed by the end of the year (2022).

Experienced Facility staff and a dedicated Support Team, including specialized engaged consultants, will be involved daily during the Closure and Relocation process to assist in addressing all special needs of the patients with a focus on the post-discharge plan of care and continuum of care.

The Facility and Support Team plan to communicate regularly, if not daily, with CDPH and the local Long-Term Care Ombudsman during this process.

After the closure is completed, Rady Children's Hospital, the largest children's hospital in the State of California, will acquire the property located at 8060 Frost Street, San Diego, and the Skilled Nursing Facility ("SNF"). Rady Children's plans to relocate its current pediatric SNF services to this 8060 Frost Street location as it works through a multi-year plan to improve the hospital campus.

Facility/Company Statement: Jose Lynch, a company spokesperson, explained the decision: "The Abby Gardens employees and caregivers are examples of excellence in healthcare services. We are so proud of the wonderful care they have provided to patients and families over the years. Not only have they achieved the highest quality ratings (CMS "5 Star" Quality Rating) a Skilled Nursing Facility can qualify for, but they have also done this work from the heart and successfully cared for so many patients, typically returning them to their prior level of care prior to admission.

With the ongoing disruption in the labor markets and the current and projected inflationary wage pressures, we believe this is the right decision for our Facility. We are committed to a Closure and Relocation Plan for each current patient that involves each family and employee in the process, and that follows the pattern of excellence this Facility has operated by. Without a doubt, this Plan will be executed with the utmost precision to benefit all those affected by this notice. We have been fortunate to work with Rady Children's Hospital on a plan to transition this Skilled Nursing Facility, after its current closure, to a care facility that has plans to care for the pediatric children in need of this level of care." 

Rady Children's Hospital Statement: A spokesperson for Rady Children's Hospital said, "We are grateful to Abby Gardens Center for their collaboration in this transition. The Helen Bernardy Center serves some of the most vulnerable and medically fragile children in our community and we are glad we were able to find a place where we can provide the best care these children and their families deserve."