Sunnyside Health Care Center Operations Updates

November 28, 2023

Sunnyside Health Care Center has closed after serving thousands of residents over more than 60 years.

We thank the staff who created the environment so valued by residents and their families. Sunnyside was a 5-star rated facility. High quality and satisfaction scores were the result of dedicated employees delivering exceptional, compassionate care. We hope everyone who ever worked at Sunnyside is proud of the care you offered. We are certainly proud of you. And we thank you.

We thank the community for your support and involvement over the years. Individuals and groups have shared your time and your talents with animals, music, cars, and in so many other ways. Dedicated volunteers played cards and offered hand massages. Ministers gave sermons, communion, and prayers. Students sang, made Valentine’s Day cards, and built snowmen. Each of you added more engagement, meaning, and joy than you will ever know. And we thank you.

More than anyone else, we thank the residents and their families who trusted us to care for them. It has been an honor to serve you. We loved you, and the relationships we formed are what made our jobs worthwhile. We celebrated birthdays, shared sing-a-longs, and played games. We also grieved together, and we hold sacred the moments when residents, loved ones, and staff all stood together as one family to honor and remember those who spent their final days with us. We only ever existed for you, and we will remember and treasure every moment we had together.

October 3, 2023

The Administration of Sunnyside Health Care Center in Cloquet announced today that the facility will be closing. The process will begin immediately and will be complete by the end of the year.

This decision was not taken lightly and was a very difficult one for everyone involved. The healthcare industry overall is facing immense challenges, especially long-term care, due to reimbursement, staffing and regulatory challenges that have existed for decades. Community Memorial Hospital has always subsidized Sunnyside operations because the board has seen it as a central part of our mission. However, events of the last few years have diminished and now eliminated our ability to continue to subsidize those losses. The decision to close is purely a reflection of the financial realities within healthcare.

We are working closely with county and state authorities to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations governing the closure of facilities. We will identify possible new settings for each resident and will accompany them on tours of the facilities and help families with the transition. We will also help connect employees to resources to identify other career opportunities within the industry.

Since Sunnyside’s creation in 1965, residents have always received exceptional care. For much of its history, Sunnyside has earned 5-star ratings from CMS. We thank the staff for the tremendous care they have delivered over the years and are sorry financial realities make it impossible to continue.