Ohio government seeks to shut down Catholic-run nursing home amid ‘widespread care failures’

Jan 15, 2026 / 06:00 am (CNA).

The attorney general of Ohio is moving to shut down a Catholic-run nursing home amid reports that the facility is placing elderly residents in “clear and present danger.”

House of Loreto, a nursing facility run by the sisters of the Congregation of the Divine Spirit, has allegedly committed “widespread care failures,” Attorney General Dave Yost’s office said in a Jan. 13 press release.

The sisters have been involved with the home since 1957, when then-Youngstown Bishop Emmet Walsh asked for the religious to run the facility. The current facility opened in 1963.

The Youngstown Diocese said in March 2025 that the home had been acquired by Hari Group LLC, a company based out of Ohio. In its press release announcing the sale the diocese did not note any troubles experienced by House of Loreto at the time.

In a court order request filed on Jan. 12, Yost’s office said that state inspectors have observed a “rapid deterioration of care” at the facility, with the filing claiming that “shockingly poor care” was putting residents in “real and present danger.”

Among the problems alleged by inspectors include the lack of a director of nursing, leaving the facility “spinning out of control” with repeated resident falls, improper medicine administration, denial of pain medication, and other alleged mismanagement issues.

The facility is “so dysfunctional” that the government “lacks any confidence that the current leadership … will be able to right the ship,” the court filing says.

The attorney general’s office said it is trying to get the facility shut down and “relocate residents to safer facilities.”

Neither the nursing home nor the Congregation of the Divine Spirit immediately responded to requests for comment on the allegations on Jan. 14.

In a statement to CNA, the Youngstown Diocese said it was “deeply saddened” at the imminent closure of the facility.

Youngstown Bishop David Bonnar in the statement said the sisters “poured their lives into creating a home where the elderly were cherished and protected.”

“Their ministry at the House of Loreto was a profound witness to the Gospel,” the prelate said. “It is painful to see their legacy overshadowed by the serious concerns that have emerged under the new ownership.”

On its website, House of Loreto describes itself as a “Catholic Church ministry guided by principles of social justice.”

The facility said it takes its name from the Holy House of Loreto in Italy, said to be the home at which the Annunciation occurred and the Word was made flesh.

The nursing home said it seeks to foster “an environment where seniors can experience the same love and respect they would find in their own homes —truly standing on the threshold of heaven as they navigate life’s later chapters.”

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/269097/ohio-government-seeks-to-shut-down-catholic-run-nursing-home-amid-widespread-care-failures