June 4, 2019

A Sioux Falls nursing home will close this summer.

Covington Care and Rehabilitation Center plans to have its residents relocated by August, according to a layoff notice filed with the state of South Dakota.

“Employees will be officially separated by Covington around Aug. 1. The exact date is difficult to determine due to the transition of patient care needs,” Patricia Powell, vice president of human resources for Black Hills Receiver LLC, wrote in the notice to the Department of Labor & Regulation.

The effective date of closure is Aug. 5, according to the notice.

The layoff will affect 90 employees. The nursing home at 3900 S. Cathy Ave. is licensed for 73 beds. Of those beds, 65 are occupied, according to a May 31 report from the state Department of Health.

Eighteen nursing homes and one assisted living center in South Dakota that are owned by Skyline Healthcare were placed into a court-ordered receivership in May 2018. Late last year, Black Hills Receiver said it was closing two of those skilled nursing facilities in Madison and Mobridge.

“Black Hills Receiver has determined that it is in the best interest of the residents, under the circumstances, to carefully plan for and pursue closure of Covington Care and Rehabilitation,” the organization said in a statement. “After careful assessment and evaluation, the receiver has made the very difficult decision to propose a plan to close Covington. The receiver will provide the facility with a detailed closure plan in an effort to make this transition as smooth as possible for the residents, their families and the employees. Black Hills Receiver values each and every resident and will explore the best future care setting with each of them individually, along with their families and personal physicians.”