The Atrium, a personal care center in downtown Johnstown, closing

Dave Sutor, The Tribune-Democrat, Johnstown, Pa.
·2 min read

Jul. 25—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — The Atrium, a nonprofit personal care center located in downtown Johnstown that provides services for senior citizens with limited resources, will soon permanently close due to economic reasons.

Residents were informed on Monday about the pending shutdown.

Atrium officials are working with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, the commonwealth's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program and other health care providers to help the individuals relocate, according to a press release sent out by Senior Choice Inc., which owns the facility, and Affinity Health Services, the center's management company.

"We're required to give them a 60-day notice," Craig Saylor, Senior Choice board chairman, said during a telephone interview. "We're required to make accommodations for them until they find placement. As expected, it was not good news for most of them, but we're working closely with the patients and the families to make sure that it's the best possible situation for them."

Saylor said it was "a hard decision for many people, but certainly our concern is for the residents and their families."

Senior Choice and Affinity Health Services cited multiple factors that led to the closure.

"While organizations operating in the senior living industry have historically been under financial strain, the pandemic compounded the existing financial stress," according to a press release.

"Provider relief funds and stimulus payments assisted with maintaining operations throughout the pandemic; however, COVID-related revenue reductions and expense increases, record-high inflation, and sharp increases in labor costs have created oversized repercussions not able to be rebalanced."

Pennsylvania Office of Aging personal care subsidies to low-income seniors can, in some cases, be less than $40 per day, while the "actual costs of providing housing, meals, activities, laundry, housekeeping, medication management and assistance with activities of daily living resources is $115 per day," according to the press release.

Seniors need to cover the rest of the cost with personal funds.

"In times past, reimbursement was better, costs were lower. ... All factors came together that just makes it not sustainable," Saylor said.

The process of finding new homes for residents will begin immediately.

Senior Choice also owns Beacon Ridge in Indiana and The Patriot in Somerset. Some residents could be relocated to The Patriot or "numerous other facilities right in the immediate Johnstown area that also take personal care," according to Saylor.

Beacon Ridge does not offer personal care.

The Atrium, located at 216 Main St., provided more than $400,000 in charity care annually.

"We are proud of the quality care and services we have provided to so many Johnstown community seniors who have called The Atrium their home these past 30 years," Saylor said in a press release statement. "It is unfortunate the organization can no longer continue to absorb the charity care and meet our operating expenditures."