Employees share the impact of Decatur Rehab closure

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — Earlier this week, WAND News reported that Decatur Rehabilitation and Health Care Center was closing.

A WARN Notice listed the date of first layoffs as November 30, but the terminations came sooner than expected.

"Our last day was November 13th," said Tahja Cooper, a CNA formerly employed at the facility.

Cooper shared how quickly the closure happened.

"So it was kind of a quick process. They started moving the residents out of the facility and all the residents were gone within like a week. So, you know — everything went fast. It was a quick, sad process," said Cooper.

Decatur Rehab was previously run by Petersen Health Care. A vice president for that company said Cascada Capital bought them in a bankruptcy auction in October.

The facility was operated by Petersen Health Care, but is now out of business — taken over by Haven Healthcare.

Getting in contact with the new company has been difficult, according to Cooper.

"And then now for this to happen, you know, and our last paycheck, some people had trouble cashing in their last paycheck. So we're kind of just in limbo right now. And like I said, the not being able to contact anybody, that's pretty frustrating as well. Like we want answers and we're not getting any of that," said Cooper.

Residents of Decatur Rehab were relocated to other facilities in central Illinois, but CNA Taevia Cooper Currie is concerned about her former patients.

"How close is that to their family? How comfortable is that for their family," questioned Cooper Currie. "How ready were they for this? Some went to facilities that probably didn't have proper care, you know, because how we took care of them."

The employees who got let go are hurt and they want answers.

"I feel like the public is just under the impression that the facility is closing down. No, that has already happened. All of us have been unemployed as of November 30th with nothing, nothing to go forward, no answers or anything," said Cooper.

Fifty-seven employees lost their jobs.

WAND reached out to the new owners, but did not get a response.

WAND also contacted the Illinois WARN office which handles layoff notices by companies, but also didn't hear back.