NEWPORT – A proposal to expand a Newport nursing home founded by the Daughters of the Holy Spirit was defeated last week.
In a split 3-2 decision, the city's Zoning Board of Review ruled on Monday Jan. 24 that while a proposal submitted by the St. Clare Home has merit, its size and scope was simply too much for the neighborhood.
The decision throws into question the very future of the venerable downtown nursing home, which argued that it needs to expand to continue in operation.
St. Clare Home has pledged to appeal the decision.
"St. Clare Home is understandably deeply disappointed in the decision of the Zoning Board," said Christopher Boyle, chairman of the St. Clare Home Advisory Board said in a statement released after the meeting. "We are confident that based upon the uncontroverted evidence that constitutes the record, an objective review of this matter will warrant a reversal of tonight's decision."
He continued, "Anything less than a reversal of this decision will result in the loss of a beloved and critical institution that has lovingly cared for the elderly and their families of our community for over 80 years. If this decision is left to stand, the community has to know, St. Clare will close."
One week after the ruling, the mood inside St. Clare's was one of uncertainty.
"People think it's a scare tactic," says Mary Beth Daigneault, the facility's executive director. But if the appeal process fails, she adds, "we are more than likely going to close."
Located on Spring Street, in the heart of the city's downtown tourist district, cars pass by this low-slung brick building without pause. As the only such facility in Newport, it has quietly served the elderly here for more than a century.
Plans had called for a significantly expanded facility with a 60-bed nursing facility and an additional 40-units of assisted living.
The expansion is needed, say proponents, to ensure the continued financial viability of the facility, which has been running a deficit since 1996.
The application also originally sought permission for a 25-person day care facility at the Garrettson Building on Spring Street, but that plan was scrapped in order to accommodate the concerns of neighbors.
The new facility, to be re-named the St. Clare Community of Newport, was to be built on approximately 1.62 acres of land located across from the Newport Public Library and senior center.
The decision by the board came after nearly 10 months of testimony, and was not without controversy. Board members were clearly of two mindsets about the proposal. Ultimately, however, a majority cited strict adherence to the city's zoning ordinance in their decision to deny the application.
"We have asked for a proposal for what it would cost to go to appeal, and we'll be reviewing that," says Daigneault. "What we did present to them, really is the least that we can do."
St. Clare's original proposal was to go from 47 skilled nursing beds to 60, all with private beds and private baths. Currently, 23 residents live in private rooms. In addition, the facility would add 40 beds of assisted living.
The future, says Daigneault, is not semi-private rooms. "It's a household model," she says.
Gina Vieria has been working at the facility since September. Her mother is a resident, as was her aunt several years ago. The prospect of St. Clare closing had her visibly shaken.
“I'd be devastated if my mom had to move," she says. "Devastated."
A Tiverton resident, Vieria could have easily gone to a nursing home in Fall River or Providence. But she says the drive into Newport is well worth it.
'I just don't know how these people around here don't know what they have here," she says.
Jay Toro's mother, Vickie, is also a resident at St. Clare's.
"Sure, this place is not brand new," he says, "But people who come here don't even look at that. The first thing they experience is the closeness; and the caring; and the individual attention. That's the difference between St. Clare's and a nursing home."
"They have such a gem here," Toro says.
Fran Cousineau agrees. A 98-year old native Newporter from the city's Fifth Ward neighborhood, she recalls coming to St. Clare's as a child for sewing lessons and the facility's annual cake sales.
After volunteering at the facility for some 25 years, Cousineau moved just down the street to St. Clare's. Her twin sister had also been a resident before she passed away 15 years ago. "She told me, 'Fran, I think it's better than the Hotel Viking.'"
"It's home," she adds. "And it couldn't be a better place to call home."
Debbie Riddick, who works as a visiting nurse, started coming to St. Clare's to visit her hospice patients. "This is not just a nursing home," Riddick says. "This is their home."
In fact, though years away from needing care herself, Riddick has already indicated her desire to be placed here should she need care. "When my time comes, out of all of the nursing homes I've been to, this is my choice," she says.
Founded in October 1909 by a small order of nuns known as the "White Sisters," the St. Clare Home has been an integral part of Newport's downtown area for generations. The chapel at St. Clare offers Mass six days a week attended by both residents of the home and the community at large. Two "White Sisters" currently reside at St. Clare’s convent and remain active in the community.
As a revenue producing agency, St. Clare Home is expected to be largely self-sufficient, though the facility does receive some diocesan support through Catholic Charities grants.
An appeal on the Zoning Board's decision could take anywhere from six to 18 months.
