Wittenberg Village to close Crown Point skilled nursing facility
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One of the largest senior living communities in northwest Indiana is planning to close its nursing home. Wittenberg Village in Crown Point says it will close its skilled nursing building on October 11, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, labor shortages and inflation.
The retirement community’s residential living and assisted living sections will remain open.
In a statement posted on its website, Wittenberg says its board and leadership team reviewed the community and determined the building should be closed in order to be “good stewards of our mission and resources.”
“This decision was not made lightly, and we recognize the impact this brings to team members, residents and families. We are committed to a smooth transition,” Chief Executive Officer Sloan Bentley said.
Additionally, Wittenberg says labor costs increased drastically over the past several months. A shortage of clinical staff required the community to hire agency staff, which Wittenberg tells our partners at The Times of Northwest Indiana is significantly more expensive.
The publication reports a separate retirement community, located at 1200 E. Luther Drive in Crown Point, is helping residents find new homes.
“We’re excited for this newly formed partnership with a well-respected organization that shares a similar mission, and they are ready to provide skilled nursing care to our residential living residents as a preferred provider. We see this as a positive for all,” said Wittenberg Executive Director Amy Maurice.
Wittenberg filed a WARN Notice with the state saying more than 70 employees will be laid off as a result of the move. The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers to provide 60 days notice of an upcoming plant closing or mass layoff.
However, Wittenberg says it plans to retain as much of its staff as possible, either through transfers to other areas within the organization or to other communities within the Lutheran Life Communities group.
IIB reporter Alex Brown contributed to this report.