SLAYTON — For the second time this month, an area nursing home has announced it will be closing down.

In a news release last week, the board of directors of Slayton Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center said they had decided to close the facility, citing a declining occupancy. The Minnesota Department of Health approved the closure as of May 20, the release said. The current plan is to close the doors at the facility by July 19, the release said.

“Today is a sad day for the Slayton families, for the Slayton community, for the residents of our care center and the employees who have cared for so many community members throughout the years,” said Avi Katz, CEO of Superior Healthcare Management, the company managing Slayton Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center.

In the news release, Superior said Slayton Rehabilitation and Healthcare employees were working to relocate the Slayton facility’s 38 residents, and informational meetings for families and residents had been scheduled.

The announcement came just two weeks after Balaton city council members voted to close the city-owned Colonial Manor nursing home. City officials and Colonial Manor employees said the facility would likely close its doors in July. In the meantime, residents were being notified, and Manor staff were following Minnesota state protocols for placing residents in other facilities.

Both Slayton Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center and Colonial Manor are working with representatives of Southwest Health and Human Services. Earlier this week, SHHS Director Beth Wilms spoke about the Slayton nursing home closing with members of the Murray County Board.

She said information on the closing could not be announced to the public sooner because of state laws that mandate enough time for privately-owned facilities to notify residents and guardians. The notification time period expired earlier this month.

Wilms added that the guideline dates back to a 2002-05 statewide nursing home closing process that started with survey data showing a high amount vacant beds in Minnesota.

“Some of the locations had staffing shortages before they closed when employees left their positions,” Wilms said. “The notification period was put in place to help in preventing that.”

The announcement of the closing of Balaton’s Colonial Manor Nursing Home was made more quickly because the facility is owned by the city, which meant action to close had to be taken in an open public meeting.

Wilms said SHHS received word of the two closings within less than 10 days. Wilms has worked with only one other nursing home closure in her career, which took place near Winona.

The nearest locations for placement of nursing home residents in Balaton and Slayton are Fulda, Tracy, Tyler. Edgerton, Worthington, Marshall and Minneota.

“It’s even more of an adjustment when two facilities this close together shut down at the same time,” she said. “Relocation plan committees were formed within the required 10 days. We’ve been working to make the changes as easy as possible for residents and their families.”

In the news release, Superior COO Steve Katz said staff members at Slayton Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center would be offered positions at the company’s sister facilities.

“We hope many of our staff will chose to work at Slayton Rehab’s nearby closest location in Worthington,” Katz said. If not, he said, “A job fair will allow area nursing homes to meet our employees and introduce their companies to our staff.”

— Jim Muchlinski contributed to this story.