PLYMOUTH — Otis R. Bowen Center’s Shady Rest Home in Plymouth will be closing their doors in the very near future.

The Otis R. Bowen Center, a non-profit mental health care services provider, is headquartered in Warsaw and serves residents in Kosciusko County as well as Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Lagrange, Marshall, Noble, Steuben, Wabash and Whitley counties.

Shady Rest is a residential placement facility for individuals age 18 and older who suffer from mental illness. The facility currently houses 42 residents. According to Bowen Center CEO Kurt Carlson, changes in federal regulations led to the decision to close the facility.

In April, Shady Rest staff and residents were informed of the decision to close the facility. Current residents will be transitioned to placement at other facilities, something that many people are not happy about.

The facility has a long history in Marshall County. In 1976, the county requested a study on the building and it was suggested that a new facility should be built. Rather than building a new facility, money was raised to renovate the existing building, along with an addition. In 1998, instead of making repairs and upgrades, the county sold the facility. It was operated as the Otis R Bowen Center Shady Rest Home for many years. In 2009, the building was added to the National Historic Registry.

It is reported that no other Bowen Center facilities are expected to close in Marshall or any of the other counties that Bowen serves. All other facilities met the new regulations required by Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services.

The plan is to have all current residents transitioned out of Shady Rest Home by July 1, with an expected closing date before the end of July.