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Largest nursing home provider in Texas files for bankruptcy

Senior Care Centers LLC has locations in Temple, Killeen, Harker Heights, Hewitt and Copperas Cove. The company said facilities will run as normal, despite the bankruptcy filing.

CENTRAL TEXAS — Senior Care Centers LLC, the largest nursing home provider in the state, filed for bankruptcy Tuesday, the Texas Health Care Association said in a press release. The LLC cares for more than 10,000 patients and employs more than 11,000 people, according to the release.

The company has locations in Temple, Killeen, Harker Heights, Hewitt and Copperas Cove.

"Jobs may be lost, local economies will be impacted, and most importantly, senior Texans and their families will be affected by the uncertainty and anxiety this creates," THCA said.

Seventy-five percent of Texas nursing homes reported the state's funding doesn't cover the cost of care, and that underfunding led to an annual staff turnover rate of more than 90 percent, the release said.

Senior Care Centers chief operating officer Michael Beal released a statement Tuesday:

"All of the actions we are announcing today have one clear and overriding goal – to ensure every single one of our patients and residents continue to receive safe and comfortable care now and in the future. This plan allows us to address certain financial issues while continuing to provide the critical care and support on which our residents rely while we work to transition certain communities to new operators."

RELATED: THCA calls for more Medicaid funding ahead of 'Silver Tsunami'

Senior Care Centers also said its facilities are expected to continue to run without interruption, and the bankruptcy filing will have no impact on patients and residents or the care they receive.

The THCA release said that complex medical conditions, like alzheimer's and parkinson's, need professional care that family caregivers can't provide.

"This has reached a crisis level, and the timing could not be worse," THCA said. "The over-65 population in Texas is set to double by 2030."

Two other national nursing home companies already left Texas, and others are waiting to see if relief will come in the Texas Legislature's next session before making future business decisions, THCA said.

"We're hoping this isn't just a wake-up call for our state leaders, but a call to action to address this before this becomes widespread across the state," THCA said.

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