News Release
Jan. 6, 2022
Twin City Gardens nursing home to close due to significant structural deficiencies
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has notified residents of Twin City Gardens nursing home in Minneapolis that the facility will need to close and residents will work with the state’s managing agent, the county and the ombudsman's offices representatives to find new homes.
Twin City Gardens Nursing Home has 28 residents and 53 employees. MDH filed for receivership and assumed control of Twin City Gardens Nursing Home on Oct. 23 under a receivership order granted by a Ramsey County judge. The temporary measure allowed regulators to protect residents’ safety and ensure continued care while operations and management issues at the facility were addressed. Pathway Health, a professional management organization, has served as the facility’s managing agent during the receivership.
While closure is not typically the first option for facilities in receivership, the building needs capital repairs that the State of Minnesota is unable to complete by law. Residents, families and staff were informed of the decision Jan. 5. The goal is to relocate every resident to new homes that meet their needs as soon as possible. The target closing date is 60 days from today, but the exact timeline will depend on how long it takes for all residents find new homes that meet their needs.
“With a leaking roof, mold and other extensive repairs needed to the building, the best and safest option at this point is to move residents to new homes,” said MDH Health Regulation Division Director Martha Burton Santibáñez. “We try to avoid facility closure during receivership situations, but the condition of the building limited our options.”
The necessary repairs include a roof replacement, remediation to address mold in the ceiling, and extensive carpet repair or replacement to address carpeting held together with duct tape in some places. These repairs involve major alterations to the physical structure of the nursing home, which the State of Minnesota is not allowed by law to conduct (Minn. Statutes 144A.15).
Receiverships, authorized by state law, allow regulators to assume control of a nursing home in certain situations where there are serious health and safety concerns for residents. By law, the receivership cannot exceed 18 months. In a receivership, MDH becomes responsible for operations and finances of the nursing home but does not become the legal owner of the building or the property. MDH typically appoints a managing agent to manage the facility’s daily operations.
-MDH-
Media inquiries:
Scott Smith
MDH Communications
651-503-1440
scott.smith@state.mn.us