Nursing home to close Sept. 21

Up to 110 people to lose their jobs, officials said

TORRINGTON » Officials with the corporate parent of the Torrington Health & Rehabilitation Center have told state officials that the Wyoming Avenue nursing home will close on Sept. 21, putting 110 people out of work.

The nursing home is owned by Vernon-based Spectrum Healthcare. David Kelly, the company’s corporate director of human resources, notified Connecticut De-

partment of Labor officials last month about the closing.

The notification was made as required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. The WARN Act is a federal law requiring employers of 100 or more full-time workers to give 60-days advance notice of a plant closing or mass layoff.

Kelly’s letter to state officials did not give a reason for the closing and company officials did not respond to several calls seeking comment.

More than half of the workers being laid off are either licensed practical nurses or certified nurses aides, according to Spectrum Healthcare’s filing.

In addition to the Torrington nursing home, Spectrum Healthcare operates health care facilities in Derby, Vernon and Hartford.

The company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection twice in the past five years. Spectrum Healthcare’s first filing came in 2012. The company would emerge from bankruptcy a year later after getting approval to close two of its health care facilities in Ansonia and Winsted.

The second filing came last October and is still ongoing in United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Connecticut before Judge James J. Tancredi. It was not immediately clear Wednesday whether the closure of the Torrington Health & Rehabilitation Center was related to Spectrum Healthcare’s bankruptcy filing.

Unionized workers at Torrington Health & Rehabilitation Center are represented by the United Healthcare Employees Union, District 1199, SEIU. Officials with the union confirmed the closing, but had no further comment.