An Aroostook county nursing home that's been operating for 50 years will close by the end of April.
Northern Maine General sent a letter notifying residents, families, and staff of Mercy Home in Eagle Lake last week. The organization says it's had to rely on costly contract labor to fill staffing shortages in recent years, and has also had to limit capacity to 30 residents instead of 40.
Eagle Lake town manager John Sutherland says the closure will have an economic impact because Mercy Home is the community's largest employer. He says he's also concerned about residents being relocated farther away from friends and family.
"It's also going to be an issue that people that lived in our community most of their lives, that wanted to spend their final years in our community, they'd be able to reside at Northern Maine General, and, ya know, their families that are local would be able to stop by and see them," he says.
Sutherland says Eagle Lake is willing to work with Northern Maine General if there's any possibility of keeping the nursing home open.
Northern Maine General president Michelle Raymond could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
More than two dozen nursing homes in Maine have closed over the past decade.
