SAPULPA – Ranch Terrace Nursing Home in Sapulpa has announced it will close on August 15 due to an inability to maintain legally required staffing levels. By the closing date, all residents will be transferred to other facilities or living arrangements.

The facility, built to serve up to 85 residents, had 30 at the time of its announced closure. Scott Rogers, a co-owner of Ranch Terrace, said the low occupancy was not due to a lack of demand, but to limits tied to staffing levels.

“In a perfect world, this facility would have 50 skilled nursing professionals working here, which would enable us to have our full occupancy rate of 85 residents,” said Rogers. “Unfortunately, our workforce pool is so diminished that hiring qualified staffers has become impossible. As of last month, we could only field 15 full time employees. Without the staff, we can’t service our residents. Without our residents, we don’t have a business.”

Steve Buck, President and Chief Executive Officer of Care Providers Oklahoma, said the closure represents a disturbing trend, and both state and federal policymakers should take notice.

Buck said. “That crisis is fueled by two factors. The first is pay. Our Medicaid rate is designed to support skilled nursing professionals earning an approximate wage of $12 an hour, which is less than an entry level job at a box store or a fast-food restaurant.

“Second, we are not creating enough interest in skilled nursing as a profession or creating the pathways we need for training and employment,” continued Buck. “Just as the state has successfully done for STEM careers, we need a way to emphasize the importance and availability of jobs in nursing and health care.

“When a facility closes, as is happening in Sapulpa, many residents are moved to other facilities that are far away from family and friends. Others are moved back into residential living environments that cannot fully meet their medical needs. Neither outcome honors the commitment we have made as a community to adequately caring for and respecting our vulnerable seniors.”