Christine Palm

You may have seen on the news that the Apple Rehab facility on Main Street in Chester, known as Chesterfields, will likely be closing. While by law, the State of Connecticut has 30 days to accept or reject the owners' request for closure, it seems unlikely the State will deny the request. 

Please be assured that all residents will be relocated to safe, desirable accommodations. This is the main criterion on which the State's decision to deny the owners' request to close is made. Meaning, that if suitable homes are not found, the State will deny (or delay) the closure. 

In the spirit of transparency, I want you to know that over the past year, at the request of several of the residents' families, I made some "spot visits" to the facility, including with the family ombudsman, Cynthia Scott from the Department of Aging and Disability Services. It was clear that staffing had become a real issue at Chesterfields, and that the residents were not adequately being served by such high staff-to-resident ratios (which resulted in a Medicaid downgraded rating of just one star out of four). 
 
The appropriate State agencies are convening with families next week to explain options. The safety and peace of mind of residents and their families is the highest priority.
 
In the meantime, if your loved one is being affected by this change, please feel free to call Cynthia Scott at 860-424-5200. If you are a citizen not directly affected by this change, please feel free to contact me rather than Ms. Scott; let's give the families priority in dealing with the appropriate agencies.