The clock is ticking in Boston's Mission Hill for residents of the Edgar P. Benjamin Healthcare Center that is set to close its doors in July.
NBC10 Boston spoke with a nurse Thursday night who is concerned about what will happen to the dozens of people who still rely on the facility for medical care.
“It’s like a dream for me. I wake up everyday. I come to work but still…are we really closing after 43 plus years? Is this what it becomes?" questioned Guerda Cadet, who has cared for patients at this facility as a nurse and a friend for more than 40 years.
“Someone who can sit and talk to them, give them a back rub. Play with them, sing with them. It's tough.”
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Patients have schizophrenia, dementia and a number of medical conditions that make it hard for the home's 76 residents to grasp that the nursing home is closing in a few months due to surging labor and other costs, according to the nursing home's CEO.
“Where are they gonna go? Some of them, all they know is us. So that’s my biggest concern right now is the placement. Where are they going to go?” Marise Colsoul, director of nursing, said.
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After reports of employees checks bouncing, elected officials plan to tour the building Friday despite an email from the CEO saying he doesn't approve of their visit because it would cause a sense of disruption.
“We have residents please save us," Colsoul said. "It breaks my heart because this isn’t about us.”
According to IRS reports, the CEO's salary increased from $180,000 to over $620,000 as the facility is set to shut down.
“If it is financial reason, why not start by taking a cut in your pay?" Cadet said. "If he feels he can’t manage the place anymore maybe he needs to move in and let somebody else take a chance.”
