Amherst nursing home to close by end of November

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A nursing home in Amherst will close by the end of November, officials confirmed to WIVB News 4 on Thursday.

Rosa Coplon Living Center, located on North Forest Road, will be closed by Weinberg Campus. The facility will close by Nov. 30 or the date the last resident is discharged, whichever is sooner, according to Weinberg Campus president and CEO Robert Mayer.

Weinberg has slightly more than 120 residents.

In a statement provided by the New York State Department of Health, the department cited “significant debt” as a reason for the closure originally presented by the Weinberg Board of Directors.

“In addition, the Department has reviewed the significant debt outlined and provided by Weinberg’s CEO, in which millions of dollars are past due and affect all aspects of Weinberg’s operations,” they said.

The DOH continued by saying they are “disturbed” by a lack of action by the Board and CEO to help residents and that they will ensure Weinberg remain open until all of the residents have been safely moved out.

“Rosa Coplon is currently working with the New York State Department of Health to ensure that this transition is as smooth as possible,” Mayer said in a statement Thursday. “We will assist each and every resident, their families and our valued employees to secure new housing options, care and job placement.”

The nursing home has been in operation since 1916. Officials have been attempting to work on a sale of the home for the past six years.

Last week, WIVB News 4 reported that workers at the nursing home had not been paid in days, and paychecks that were issued for them the week before bounced. 1199 SEIU, the union that represents the workers, said in a news conference Thursday that employee health insurance had been canceled. Workers were told of the closure in a meeting on Thursday morning.

NYS reviewing takeover proposal of Weinberg Campus

“These people, they rely on us,” said Lizetta Bosley, who works at the nursing home. “I’m just asking the board, I’m asking the governor, we’re asking whoever can help us. Give us some help. We need you all right now. Some of us live paycheck-to-paycheck. We need all the help we can get right now.”

Mayer said the Board of Directors cited the potential sale failed to happen due to federal and state regulatory burdens, low Medicaid reimbursement rates, rising delivery costs, a shrinking skilled health care workforce, and current incentives to have elders and those requiring care to remain at home for care.

“Weinberg has been the gold standard for this type of facility in our area in the Town of Amherst,” Amherst town supervisor Brian Kulpa said. “Fiscal mismanagement, an underlying inability to operate the facility at the top level should not be seen as a mark on the good people of SEIU who have gone and battled every day to get residents the care they need.”

Acting mayor of Buffalo Chris Scanlon said in a statement that his administration will collaborate with local government to explore all options moving forward.

You can view Thursday’s news conference with SEIU in the video player below.

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Aidan Joly joined the News 4 staff in 2022. He is a graduate of Canisius College. You can see more of his work here.

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