WAYMART -- A nursing home in Wayne County is closing its doors Friday after 17 years.
Nearly two years ago, the owner of Mallard Meadows Residential Health Care Center in Waymart died from cancer. Since then, his children have overseen the senior living center. And recently, they announced the facility will close for good.
The owner and the current administrator told us the decision to close was their own, but they are not saying exactly why.
Over the past several weeks, that's meant moving the more than 70 patients to other nearby facilities.
"It's like a ghost town," said one employee.
Almost all of them have moved, and the administration says they've found a home for the others.
As for employees who work at Mallard Meadows, they're looking for new jobs.
"Right now I'm unemployed," said Zelideh Ortiz, a housekeeper. "I'm looking for work and hoping to find something really fast."
Ortiz isn't alone. 29 others who work at the facility are scrambling to figure out what's next.
Kelly Morcom has been doing housekeeping here for five years and calls the center her second family.
"I try not to lose it when they leave because I've made a lot of friends and some of these people are grandparents to me," she explained.
While they wait and look for new jobs, they hope that someone will be enticed to bring back the care to this less than 20-year-old facility.
"I hope someone buys it," Morcum added. "It would be really sad if it just sat here and nothing happened to it and it's beautiful here, so it would be a shame."
There is no word at this point on what will happen to that property in Waymart.