Cerenity Senior Care board of directors announced on Sept. 12 that Cerenity Care Center on Dellwood Place, St. Paul, and Cerenity Care Center – Bethesda of South St. Paul will close on or before Nov. 11, 2011.  PLEASE NOTE: Cerenity Residence of South St. Paul, which is adjacent to Cerenity Care Center – Bethesda of South St. Paul, will remain open.

Dellwood Place and Bethesda Care Centers need major capital improvements and, like many other nursing homes in the state, are stressed financially due to low rates and rising costs. “The decision to close these centers was very difficult for the board,” said Chuck Heidbrink, president of Cerenity Senior Care. “A significant amount of capital and resources have been invested to help keep the facilities competitive and provide quality resident care. The staff and management team have worked hard and they are to be commended for their efforts, but we just can’t provide the care and amenities that today’s consumers want in these dated facilities.” 

Cerenity Dellwood Place and Bethesda Care Center staff members will work with residents, families and/or responsible parties to ensure that every resident receives assistance with relocation to make as smooth a transition as possible. The care centers will cooperate with the state and local agencies to identify and address individual resident needs. Each resident will have individual placement coordination with options available to him or her for placement. Dellwood Place, licensed for 107 beds, currently has 87 residents, and Bethesda Care Center, licensed for 117 beds, has 100 residents. 

Approximately 138 positions will be eliminated at Dellwood Place and 175 at Bethesda Care Center. Cerenity Senior Care will assist employees in exploring new employment opportunities. Transition assistance and job placement services will be available through the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Dislocated Worker Program. 

Both care centers have long been fixtures in their communities. Dellwood Place, located in the Dayton’s Bluff area, has served East St. Paul for more than 90 years, providing board and care, skilled nursing and transitional care. The Bethesda Care Center, established in 1960, was located across the street from what is now Bethesda Rehabilitation Hospital in St. Paul. In 1997, the care center moved to the former Divine Redeemer hospital building in South St. Paul. Bethesda Care Center provides skilled nursing plus transitional and hospice care. 

Cerenity Senior Care will continue to own and operate its three continuum of care communities: Cerenity Senior Care – White Bear Lake, Cerenity Senior Care – Marian of Saint Paul and Cerenity Senior Care – Humboldt.