Two stories on the decision to close an assisted living facility attached to a hospital in rural Washington. The first article states the facility was built w the passage of a bond 15 yrs previously and has lost $800k in the past seven years. The nursing home portion of the facility where the residents receives higher reimbursement rates from Medicaid, will remain open. The community members mentioned in the story seem to be grappling for straws (one woman says it was built to serve the community not find a way to make profits) in their quest to keep it open.
The second story includes an interesting quote from the administrator of the facility (who could be losing her job) about meeting with two state representatives regarding future plans: ” They sit on committees that can influence, but they had no solutions, either,” Michel said. “We just wanted to make them aware of what our situation was, not just with Assisted Living but district-wide.” A poll for readers of this story on the paper’s website shows 80% of voters favor keeping it open, despite the dour financial metrics. Close your eyes and kick the can?
