Members of AFSCME Council 14 have launched a public campaign to keep Ramsey Nursing Home open.

For generations, Ramsey Nursing Home has provided quality care to seniors, exclusively serving residents of Ramsey County, the union said. Budget cuts are threatening the existence of this treasured community institution, it said.

Employees at the nursing home, together with family members of residents, will hold a solidarity action Thursday outside the nursing home to greet Ramsey County commissioners arriving for the annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon. Union members working inside the facility will wear t-shirts that day with the message "Save Ramsey Nursing Home."

While the luncheon is being held, AFSCME union members, family members of residents, and concerned Ramsey County citizens will march and hold signs along White Bear Avenue to express their solidarity with the residents, family members and employees of Ramsey Nursing Home.

The solidarity picket will start at 12:45 p.m. and last for approximately 30 minutes. Ramsey Nursing Home is located at 2000 White Bear Avenue in Maplewood (intersection of Frost Avenue and White Bear Avenue).

For the last several weeks, supporters of Ramsey Nursing Home have been spreading the message through phone banking and leafleting the community. Hundreds of residents have called Ramsey County commissioners to express their support for keeping Ramsey Nursing Home open.