Assisted Living Facility Residents Given 60 Days to Relocate

This week, two dozen residents received notice they will have to move out and relocate within 60 days. The facility where they live, Cedarhurst of Madison, informed affected residents on October 12. Cedarhurst is a 60-bed assisted living facility located on the East Side of Madison in Wisconsin.

What Cedarhurst Residents Were Told

The reason given to notified residents was that the company planned to stop accepting Medicaid payments. Effectively, the company says it will no longer have a relationship with Wauwatosa-based My Choice Wisconsin.

My Choice is a managed care organization responsible for the care of the elderly, as well as those with disabilities. It is part of Medicaid under Wisconsin’s Family Care program.

Plans to Make Private Apartments

According to an article in Madison.Com, the company, St Louis-based Cedarhurst Senior Living, says it will no longer accept Medicaid payments after December 10. Although Maria Ledger, CEO of My Choice, says the move has nothing to do with the decision to leave My Choice.

Sherry Kizer, Cedarhurst divisional director of operations, reportedly said, “We found that our partnership with this provider and the restrictions on care and services because of the relationship does not align with our mission as an organization.”

According to Ledger, “There have been no restrictions placed on the care and services members receive at Cedarhurst.” Ledger says the explanation Cedarhurst gave her for the decision is that the company plans to convert the 60-bed facility into private apartments.

Residents Feel Betrayed and Afraid of Becoming Homeless

Elizabeth Burnette, an 80-year-old resident, says she feels betrayed by the decision. She has been living at the Cedarhurst facility for over two years and has no family living nearby. With winter coming, Burnette is worried about where she will go.

Other residents, some of whom are disabled, feel distraught and confused about the letter. Burnette said, “I feel like I have no home.” In all, 27 residents received notice to move out.

Christie Schrader, a Cedarhurst spokesperson said affected residents can stay “if they can afford the private market rates.”

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