Largest Texas Medicaid assisted-living group to shutter

Fort Worth, Texas-based Westchester Plaza, the largest assisted-living facility for Medicaid beneficiaries in the state, will close later this summer, according to a Star-Telegram report.

Nearly 120 people who currently live at the facility were instructed to move out by Aug. 10, the report states.

Westchester Plaza owner WGH Heritage attributed the closure to Medicaid changes in a statement obtained by the Star-Telegram.

"Despite the ballooning population of low-income seniors and individuals with disabilities, the number of Medicaid assisted living providers in Texas has steadily declined due to low reimbursement rates, changes in process management of the Medicaid Waiver program, and expansion of alternative entitlement programs," the statement reads. The company added, "The size and age of Westchester Plaza posed unique challenges amidst a changing regulatory environment."

News of the closure comes after years of financial problems for Westchester Plaza, which has operated nearly two decades at its current location, according to the report. The report states the facility in recent years has also "run afoul of state regulators amid complaints of inadequate staffing, residents missing medications and a leaky roof that flooded the top floor. And a few months ago, E Capital Partners, a capital investment firm in Fort Worth, acquired the mortgages on Westchester Plaza property from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to the report.

The Star-Telegram reports Westchester Prime Management, part of WGH Heritage, told residents via letter it would help them relocate "via the assistance of local regulatory authorities and Managed Care Organizations contracted to manage the Star+Plus Medicaid Waiver program."

 

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