MDH takes control of Minneapolis nursing home to ensure residents’ safety

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has filed for receivership and assumed control of Twin City Gardens Nursing Home, located in Minneapolis. The temporary measure allows regulators to protect residents’ safety and ensure continued care while operations and management issues at a facility are addressed.  

Twin City Gardens Nursing Home has 31 residents and 61 employees. Under a receivership order granted Friday by a Ramsey County judge, MDH assumed management at the facility to ensure residents are safe and continue to receive essential services. MDH has arranged for Pathway Health, a professional management organization, to serve as the facility’s managing agent during the receivership. Residents and staff were informed of the change over the weekend. 

During 2021, MDH has been on-site to conduct complaint investigations several times. During their most recent on-site visits between October 12 and October 21, MDH surveyors documented multiple findings regarding patient care and services. In addition, last week MDH staff found evidence of staff payroll checks being returned with insufficient funds, and unpaid bills for oxygen, insurance and medications. Concerned that the company’s growing list of unpaid bills threatened critical services for residents, MDH petitioned the court for permission to assume control of the nursing home through temporary receivership.

“This rare step is one we do not take lightly, but the evidence indicated a need for immediate action to ensure that residents are safe and continue to receive essential services,” said Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm. “We are focused on a smooth transition that meets the needs of families, residents and staff.”

MDH and the temporary management team will stabilize the facilities’ operations to support staff and to make sure patients receive quality care.

“We are communicating with family members and residents about the transition as we work to stabilize operations and ease their concerns,” said MDH Health Regulation Division Director Martha Burton Santibáñez. “We will work with the new managing agent of the facilities to help residents and employees through this transition.”

Receiverships, authorized by state law, allow regulators to assume control of a nursing home in certain situations where there are serious health and safety concerns for residents. By law, the receivership cannot exceed 18 months. In a receivership, MDH becomes responsible for operations and finances of the nursing home. MDH typically appoints a managing agent to conduct the daily work of managing the facility. The last receivership action by MDH was in 2015.

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Media inquiries:

Scott Smith 
MDH Communications
651-503-1440
scott.smith@state.mn.us (preferred)