Sunderland, Massachusetts nursing home was damaged by burst
fire sprinkler pipe causing extensive ceiling damage.
SUNDERLAND — A spokesman for
the nursing home damaged when a pipe broke Jan. 10 said it hopes to have all
residents returned by the end of the week.
More than half of New
England Health Center’s 42 residents already have moved back in as repairs
continued at the nursing home at 61 Old Amherst Road.
“We have 24 residents who
have returned and are doing great,” said Uri Turk, spokesman for the nursing home.
“We are hoping to get all of our remaining residents back this week.”
Some of the nursing home’s
residents were sent to other facilities owned by its parent company, Synergy
Health Centers, and a few residents were able to live with family members as the
nursing home cleaned up and repaired the water damage. Four non-ambulatory
residents were moved to Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield.
Damage included a partial
ceiling collapse, caused by water from an above-ceiling sprinkler pipe that froze
and burst.
“The affected area of east
and west halls are still in reconstruction,” Turk said Monday.
The nursing home’s larger
south section, an addition to the original structure, was unaffected by the
burst pipe, and that is where the returned residents live.
Cleanup and repair crews
worked “around the clock,” according to Turk, and it still took more than a
week to put things back in order. The sprinkler system has been repaired and
awaits inspection by a “third party,” Turk said.
Turk expected final repairs
to be finished Monday, with the exception of some painting and trim work.
“The building inspector will
be in (Tuesday) to check it out and sign off on everything for occupancy,” Turk
said. “We will then submit that info to the state and wait on them.”
Overseen by the state
Department of Public Health, the nursing home will need the agency’s approval
before the rest of the residents can return. Earlier, 14 residents returned by
Thursday, and another 10 came back Friday.
Formerly known as the Cozy
Corner Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, the nursing home was bought by
Synergy in 2012