The closing of Salem Village Nursing and Rehabilitation will mark the end of a Joliet tradition of care that goes back to the 19th century.

It also will be the second closing in two years of one of Joliet’s best-known nursing homes, reflecting a pattern seen across the country.

More nursing homes are closing than opening despite the nation’s aging population.

The closing of Salem Village, which is to be completed by April 10, follows the closing in early 2023 of Our Lady of Angels Retirement Home.

“I knew this would not be a one-off situation,” said Sister Jeanne Bessette, president of the Joliet Franciscans, the religious order that opened Our Lady of Angels in 1962.

Bessette last year said Our Lady of Angels was not alone, as it closed amid financial challenges facing independently owned nursing homes in a marketplace where economies of scale were becoming a necessity.

Unlike Our Lady of Angels, about which Bessette immediately began to address questions once its pending closure became news, Salem Village has been silent this week about its problems.

A mainstay of care in the community

Salem Village’s roots in Joliet go deeper than Our Lady of Angels. They can be traced back to at least 1891, when the Swedish Lutheran Home for Children was opened. That led to the Salem Home for the Aged, which opened in 1908 on the Rowell Avenue location where Salem Village now stands.

Like Our Lady of Angels, Salem Village has religious origins.

The current ownership of Salem Village, however, is unclear.

State records identify the primary owner as Makhlour Suissa with a Skokie address.

Suissa could not be reached for comment, and Salem Village management did not respond to calls seeking comment about the closing.

Joliet attorney Bryan Kopman is listed in corporate records with the state as the registered agent for Salem Village.

Kopman, however, said he was not aware of the closing when reached this week.

The Illinois Department of Public Health confirmed that Salem Village had notified the state that it would close by April 10, the only public acknowledgment that the facility is closing.

Care facilities crisis

The closing of Salem Village follows what has been a general trend since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the American Health Care Association.

“The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated our persistent staffing challenges into a full-blown crisis,” according to a statement issued by AHCA in response to questions from the Herald-News. “Nursing homes have dedicated every possible resource to recruit and retain caregivers, but the workers aren’t there. As a result, nursing homes are having to limit admissions or close their doors completely.”

More than 650 U.S. nursing homes, almost half of which are highly rated facilities, have closed since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the AHCA.

In 2023, 27 new nursing homes opened. However, that’s down from an average of 84 new nursing homes a year from 2019 to 2022, according to the AHCA.

The reasons Salem Village is closing are unclear.

Issues at the facility have included a stabbing death in November of one resident at the hands of another resident. State authorities in 2023 received five complaints that led to investigations at Salem Village.

“I know so little about Salem Village,” Bessette said.

But Salem Village reportedly has been unable to fill all of its beds. Bessette said COVID-19 made it more difficult to attract people to nursing homes because of the isolation that occurred during the pandemic as family were kept away from residents.

“A lot of places had a hard time bouncing back after COVID,” Bessette said.

Our Lady of Angels, Salem Village and Sunny Hill Nursing Home may be the best-recognized nursing home names among local residents because of their longevity.

Sunny Hill is owned and operated by Will County, which likely gives it some advantages over privately owned nursing homes trying to operate outside of a large corporate structure.

Sunny Hill was opened in 1968.

The county-owned nursing home was able to maintain staffing through the COVID-19 pandemic, county spokesman Michael Theodore said in an emailed response.

“This has contributed to a stable high-occupancy rate of residents,” Theodore said.

Sunny Hill “is proud of the longevity of employees, allowing for minimal turnover of key positions that provide high-quality service to residents,” Theodore said.