Friday, February 17, 2012

Blaine Manor seeks to expand

Board proposes assisted living, permanent levy

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By KATHERINE WUTZ
Express Staff Writer

Directors of the Blaine Manor skilled-nursing facility in Hailey have proposed a permanent tax levy to fund its operations. Photo by Mountain Express

Members of the Blaine Manor board and staff asked Blaine County on Tuesday to consider adding a permanent levy to the May ballot to fund not only the manor's operating losses, but an additional assisted-living facility that would be added to the existing building.

"Assisted living is needed in this county," said Blaine Manor trustee Linda Haavik. "[Blaine Manor] is well-positioned to provide that as well as 24-7 skilled nursing care."

The proposal includes remodeling the building to add 22 studio-style, assisted-living units. The units would include accessible showers, small kitchen areas and beds. Residents would have access to services such as medication assistance, help with showering or bathing, help getting to the communal areas and other services.

Blaine Manor would operate with 20 beds for skilled-nursing patients in need of constant help and monitoring.

"That would be a reduction from what we have today," Haavik said, but added that it would not be below the demand for skilled nursing care.

The manor would provide three levels of care after renovation: level one assisted living, including medication and bathing assistance; level two assisted care, including medication, bathing and mobility assistance; and level three, which is 24-7 skilled nursing care.

All residents would have access to housekeeping, linen service and transportation to doctor appointments as well as three meals a day and all utilities except cable and phone.

Stephanie Jaskowski, Blaine Manor's director of finances, said having assisted-living residents would boost revenue without a proportional increase in expenses. Overall, the manor would have $2.75 million in expenses and bring in nearly $2.4 million in revenue.

Jaskowski said the manor will likely operate under a permanent shortfall, which is why the board proposed the permanent levy. The levy would range from $2 million in fiscal 2013, to fund the construction of assisted-living units, to an ongoing levy of $300,000 starting in fiscal 2015.

Blaine Manor Chief Administrator Gail Goglia said the levy might not be needed if the manor chose not to accept Medicaid patients. She said Medicaid reimbursements do not match the true cost of caring for those residents, leading to an operating loss. However, she said, denying service to those on Medicaid is not a compassionate option.

"We could come close to breaking even if we did not have Medicaid residents," she said. "But in this community, we knew we would have people who need services paid for by Medicaid."

While this proposal was called a "reasonable Plan B" for senior care by County Commissioner Larry Schoen, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tim Graves suggested that creating a permanent levy would actually need to be achieved by declaring Blaine Manor a county hospital and establishing a hospital taxing district.

That option was opposed by Commissioner Tom Bowman.

"We always said we support skilled nursing but that we want to get out of that business," he said. "The county was going to distance itself from that line of business."

The county has until recently been operating under assumptions that a new, privately funded senior care facility will be built west of Hailey, but fundraising and construction of that proposed facility are far behind schedule.

Commissioner Angenie McCleary said the more important point is that the county has an obligation to its residents—even if officials would prefer to see a privately funded solution in this case.

"The county provides care for its most vulnerable populations when the market is not able to," she said. "It's a big discussion, and an important one."

The conversation has been continued to a later date, and the commissioners made no decisions regarding the formation of a hospital district, asking the county to approve a permanent levy or the proposed construction.

Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com

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