Regulators have extended the closure date for Laguna Honda Hospital by another two months to give the nursing home more time to figure out where to transfer the 600-plus residents who still call the facility home.
San Francisco officials announced the extension on Monday in a joint announcement with the California Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services, which originally ordered the 150-year-old facility to close by mid-September.
“All parties are committed to ensuring that, regardless of income, people living in nursing homes are receiving safe, high-quality services and support,” the three agencies wrote in a shared statement. “We are all focused on resident well-being while Laguna Honda continues to provide critically needed health care services for over 600 residents.”
Federal officials will extend availability of Medicare and Medicaid payments in the meantime, they said, and a pause on patient transfers and discharges will remain in effect.
In an email to patients and their families, interim Laguna Honda Executive Director Roland Pickens welcomed the news.
“We are thankful for this show of compassion and thoughtfulness from our regulatory agencies,” he wrote. “We know it will provide great relief for our community of staff, residents, families and all those who care about Laguna Honda.”
Pickens plans to address the closure plan at the next San Francisco Health Commission meeting, which is set for 4 p.m. Tuesday in Room 300 at the Public Health Department, 101 Grove St.