Sanford Closing Underwood Care Center - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Sanford Health announces plans to shut down its nursing home in Underwood.

The move will be made no later than March 15th--affecting 62 employees and 40 patients.

Sanford says it has struggled to hire and retain staff. There are currently sixteen full-time openings--with some positions open for a year.

City leaders in Underwood are acting quickly.

There will be a meeting Saturday to begin to decide how to move forward.

All options will be put on the table, including finding another way to use the building or to keep it as a nursing home.

"It was a certainly a surprise to the community, but Underwood is a strong, resilient community were are uniquely positioned to handle this. We have to look at all the options that are on the table for us, try to find a positive outcome in this, there are some tough conversations and hard work that comes with that, but I truly believe we can out the other end and have this be a positive for the community," says Tyler Demars of Common Enterprise Development Corporation.

. The facility has fifty-eight beds, but eighteen are empty because of lack of staff. The nursing home has been open since 1968 and part of Sanford Health/MedCenter One since 1996.

We have sixty days before they close long term care there. The residents heard the news as well and are making plans as quickly as they can to find other arrangements," says Demers.

Sanford says it will work with residents during the transition time to help them find other places for care.

Sanford officials also say they will work with the city of Underwood to find a way for the building to be used in the future.