2 children’s residential care facilities closing in Augusta area

Spurwink, one of Maine’s leading providers of behavioral health services, is closing two residential care facilities for children located just outside Augusta.

The two residential facilities are closing in the town of Chelsea “due to workforce and funding challenges,” said Kristen Farnham, Spurwink’s Vice President of Legal Affairs and Advancement.

Farnham noted that Spurwink has had a difficult time attracting “an appropriate workforce” to the Chelsea facilities. It’s now working with families, state officials and other stakeholders to find new placements for the facility’s clients.

Spurwink is also laying off 61 employees in connection with the closures, but it’s trying to rehire many of them to other positions within the organization, according to Farnham.

“We have lots of openings,” Farnham said.

The closure of the two residential centers will not affect other programs Spurwink offers in the Kennebec Valley, Farnham added.

Lindsay Hammes, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, said that the agency is also working to find new placements for the residents of those facilities.

“We recognize the impact of this on Spurwink staff and children and families in need of care, and [the Maine DHHS Office of Behavioral Health] is working with Spurwink to support care coordination for children and youth impacted by the closure,” Hammes said.

Spurwink expanded its Chelsea campus about seven years ago to create more classroom and living space for its residential-care and day students, the Kennebec Journal reported at the time.

Spurwink is among the top 50 biggest private employers in Maine, with between 501 and 1,000 workers, according to state records . Its website lists about 20 locations across central and southern Maine.