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Nathaniel Witherell board chair reports narrowing operating losses, seeks partnerships to boost census
Summary
Brad Markowitz, outgoing chair of the Nathaniel Witherell board, told the RTM the nursing home has narrowed multi‑million dollar operating losses through billing changes, board restructuring and partnerships, but warned quality metrics and capital needs remain.
Brad Markowitz, recently the chair of the Nathaniel Witherell board, told the Representative Town Meeting that the town‑owned nursing home is making measurable progress toward financial stability but still faces quality and capital challenges.
Markowitz said the facility has addressed significant accounts receivable problems, adopting industry standard revenue cycle management and an outsourced billing service that he said should prevent a recurrence of prior receivable write‑offs. He reported the board wrote off approximately $5,400,000 in accounts receivable that should have been collectible in prior years, and outlined recent operating results: a loss of $4,700,000 in fiscal year 2022–23; a reduced loss of $2,700,000 in fiscal year 2023–24; and a budgeted loss of $1,100,000 for fiscal year 2024–25. Fiscal‑year‑to‑date through February, he said, the facility showed a loss of $961,000 versus a budgeted loss of $721,000. The budget presented to the BET for fiscal 2025–26 shows a projected loss of $290,000 prior to debt service and capital.
Markowitz said improving clinical partnerships is central to increasing Witherell’s census and revenue. He described an instituted program with Stamford Hospital to elevate pulmonary services — intended to enable earlier hospital discharges that would be cared for at Witherell — and said additional collaborations are under discussion but not yet final. He also said the facility’s state surveys in 2022 and 2024 showed improvement but left quality metrics below the board’s targets and that quality improvement remains a board priority.
The board has restructured committee work, reenergized an independent 501(c)(3) “Friends of Nathaniel Witherell” to support quality‑of‑life and capital fundraising, and named Peter Kelly as the new board chair and Abe Tabner as vice chair. Markowitz said the town will likely continue to own and operate Witherell for the foreseeable future and urged the RTM to remain engaged in oversight.
Why this matters
Nathaniel Witherell is a town‑owned skilled nursing facility that serves many Greenwich residents; its financial stability and quality ratings affect town budgets, resident care and capital planning. While Markowitz reported progress toward operational breakeven, the facility still projects a pre‑capital shortfall in the near term and will need both operational improvements and fundraising to meet capital needs.
