Seattle’s largest and oldest Asian-Pacific Islander senior care program, Keiro Northwest, will close its main nursing facility and other programs after a decade of declining revenues and changes in the nation’s healthcare system.
“This is a gut-wrenching event for the API community,” said Keiro Northwest Board Member Fred Kiga. “The Keiro nursing home is one of the legacies of Seattle’s Nikkei (Japanese) community. It was started 41 years ago by community leaders who placed second mortgages on their homes in order to build a skilled nursing facility for the elders.”
According to Kiga, roughly 115 nursing home residents will need to find a new place to stay between now and the end of the year. Some 260 staff will be affected.
Keiro Northwest Board President Tomio Moriguchi said in a statement, “We have done everything in our power to continue to deliver the full range of services… but we cannot afford to lose money at our current rate and expect Keiro Northwest to survive.”
Kiga estimates the non-profit organization was losing about $300,000 a month.
The agency never fully recovered from changes made during the 2008 recession. Kiga said the federal government reduced the base amount of reimbursement for Medicaid services, which made it difficult to cover the true costs of care. Kiga said the $15 minimum wage in Seattle also put pressure on the entire salary schedule and resulted in increased staff turnover.
Besides the rehabilitation and care center, the agency will close Nikkei Horizons (Continuing Education & Travel), home care, transportation services and catering by the end of the year.
Families and the community will be updated at meetings beginning Wednesday at 1 p.m. A public town hall is scheduled for May 14, 6 to 8 p.m. at Stroum Jewish Center on Mercer Island.
