River’s Bend cited financial issues, shutdown on Thursday

BURLINGTON — An inter-agency team was mobilized by the Ohio Department of Health to relocate residents of a Burlington nursing home after a sudden announcement it was closing on Thursday.

J.C. Benton, a spokesperson for the department, said they were contacted by River’s Bend Health Care on Thursday and told that, due to financial reason, they would be closing by the end of the day.

“They should have told us 90 days in advance,” he said. “They said they can’t make payroll.”

He said the department took quick action at nursing home, at 335 Jefferson Avenue in Burlington, which has dozens of residents.

“We immediately mobilized an inter-agency team from the Ohio Department of Aging, the Ohio Department of Health and Medicaid and are on site to move residents to facilities that meet their social, emotional and health needs,” he said.

Benton said the team would remain on site until the last resident is placed in a secure location.

“Our top priority is the health and wellness of all residents at this point,” he said.

River’s Bend had been cited for numerous violations by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services over the past several years.

The Tribune reached out to the nursing home, but they were unwilling to give a statement.