ATLANTA — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is sounding the alarm over the potential closure of dozens of Georgia nursing homes following Medicaid cuts tied to the newly approved congressional budget package.

Ossoff says the impact is already beginning to take shape in Georgia, with more fallout expected in the coming months.

“Some of it more or less immediately, some of it at the beginning of next year, some of it over the next 18 to 24 months,” Ossoff said.

According to a recent Brown University study, 37 nursing homes across the state, including five in metro Atlanta are at risk of shutting down. The report cites high Medicaid dependency, low occupancy, and poor ratings as key factors. Ossoff says 70% of Georgia’s nursing home residents rely on Medicaid for care.

“Our parents, our treasured grandparents, and loved ones, this is a serious threat to the health and well-being of Georgia seniors,” he said.

Ossoff adds that the closures would likely occur within the next two years, warning that many facilities are approaching a financial cliff.

“If you’re running a hospital or nursing home, you know that financial cliff is fast approaching,” he said. “Georgia already has a senior care crisis. The fourth lowest rate of nursing coverage in the country.”

The senator criticized the cuts as “unnecessary and avoidable harm to seniors in Georgia” and noted that the state has already seen several medical facilities close in recent years.

He expects a healthcare package to be introduced later this year that would seek to reverse some of the Medicaid cuts.

“Today I want to sound the alarm,” Ossoff said.

WSB’s Veronica Waters contributed to this story