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Show Nursing Home CommitieeReports Reasons They Favor Bond Issue Ed. Note: The following follow-ing report, prepared by the Grand County Nursing Nurs-ing Home Committee for publication at this time, outlines the reasoning behind the decision leading lead-ing to the bond election next Tuesday. It is published pub-lished as prepared by the Committee: The Nursing Home Committee was appointed appoint-ed by Grand County Commissioners Com-missioners in April 1972. We were assigned the specific charge of investigating in-vestigating the need for a Nursing Home in Grand County. If it ert de-, termined that a need existed, ex-isted, how great was that need, and to give specific speci-fic recommendations as to what should be done to take care of that need. The Nursing Home Committee reported lo the Commissioners that our investigation shows a necessity for a Nursing Nurs-ing Home in the County, and that a 50 bed unit would fill the current needs, and those of the near future. Cost of constructing con-structing such a unit was also investigated, and reported that this would cost approximately $950,000. for the type of building that was necessary and desirable. The Committees recommendation re-commendation to the Commissioners is to present the information available lo the Grand County Voters, ashing them to support a Bond issue in the amount of $950,000. in order that a 50 bed unit Nursing Home could be constructed. con-structed. The Nursing Home Committee is wholeheartedly whole-heartedly behind this project, and our recommendation recom-mendation to the Citizens of Grand County is to support the Bond election elec-tion .June 5, 1 973. The following are the questions, and most of the pertinent information informa-tion on which (lie Nursing Nurs-ing Home Committee based their decisions: 1. Question: Is a Nursing Nurs-ing Home needed in Grand County? A. We presently have M patients in nursing homes who list their ad- dress in (J rand County. B. We have determined determin-ed that there are another 6 to 10 individuals in the Community who would probably be in a nursing nurs-ing home if we had one. C. We have resolved that there are a number of others in the Community Commun-ity who are going to need nursing home care in the near future. 1). The number of elderly eld-erly in our community is increasing more rapidly rap-idly than in the past. E. There isn't a vacant vac-ant nursing home bed within 200 miles of Grand C'ount . V. All Nursing Homes that we know of within this 200 mile radius have a waiting list, and most of these lists are quite lengthy. G. e know of no Community Com-munity with a population the same as Grand County Coun-ty who does not have 30 or more nursing home beds. II. We know of many Communities with less population than Grand County that have 50 or more nursing home beds that are occupied, and have a long waiting list. 1. We cannot guarantee how much longer Nursing Nurs-ing Homes in other Counties Coun-ties will continue to take our patients when they are running at full capacity, capa-city, w ith a waiting' list, and can not take care of their own. 2. Question: How many beds do we need? A. We closely observed observ-ed the follow ing in other communities: 1 . Population and mini -her of beds required. 2. Number of residents that would probably utilize uti-lize Nursing Home facilities. facil-ities. '.. Financial statements from other N u r s i n g Homes, and the number of occupants rcqui red to operate at a break even point. 1. Staffing patterns, and by State Law, how many patients a nursing station can serve. 5. With the information informa-tion available to us we tried to project the com -rnunities need. C. In speaking to other i Nursing Home Operators, Opera-tors, we were advised not to construct a building tli.it could not be en-I en-I la rged. There is a short -I age of Nursing Home I beds, and the possibility of adding on lo the si ruc-tiirc ruc-tiirc is evident. 7. Building costs are rising from 1(1 to Wn per year. .'I. Question: Why $!).riO,-I $!).riO,-I 000. for a 50 bed unit? A. Architecture and I const rucl ion of building. ! sie or rooms, quality . of material used in construction, con-struction, type of services ser-vices offered etc., were I (I i s c II s s e d thoroughly I with the Architect. I II. Reviewed const rur-- rur-- lion costs of Nursing Homes built during the past ten years. San Juan Nursing Home, Price Nursing Home, Emery County Nursing Home, Heber City Hospital and Nursing Home. Logan Nursing Home. Gunnison Valley Hospital Nursing Home, also reviewed construction costs of the recently completed, Corte Nursing Home. C. Reviewed maintenance mainte-nance costs of minimum cost construction in comparison to quality cost construction. I). Evaluated endurance endur-ance of minimum con-strcution con-strcution building in comparison to quality construction building. E. Consideration was given to the desirability of living quarters, such as roomier area for liv ing, private bath rooms, pleasant dining room, recreation and hobby area. F. Cost of all equipment, equip-ment, such as beds, kitchen kit-chen equipment, heating, air conditioning, etc., are included in the $950,-000. $950,-000. A complete study of all the desired requisits indicate in-dicate the price will go as high as $950,000. 4. Question. Why does the Nursing Home have to be close to the Hospital? Hos-pital? A. Speed in handling emergencies. B. Convenience in transfering to hospital or nursing home. C. Convenience of staffing. D. Convenient for Dcotors to see patients. E. Convenience of administration. F. Availability of desirable de-sirable property. 5. Question: If the Nursing Home needs to be near the Hospital, why not add on to the existing Hospital. A. You would lose the versality of leasing it to a private firm. B. The possibility of expanding either the hospital hos-pital or nursing home would be eliminated. C. Every Nursing Home Operator cautioned us not to put the proposed nursing home on a back lot where the residents could not see activity. The only association they have with the community that surrounds them are the children going back and forth, the cars going by, and the activity of people in the adjoining area. This lends a home like atmosphere to an otherwise uninteresting life. 6. Question: Why are the available beds in the hospital not used? A. As most people have read the Federal Government Gov-ernment has an experimental experi-mental project going in the State of I'tah which permits our hospital lo accept nursing home patients. pa-tients. I'nder this program pro-gram the maximum we could admit is twelve patients, and this would not meet the need of the community. The most important question we should ask ourselves is whether we can care for this tv pe of patient adequately ade-quately in our hospital. On close observation one can notice that the existing exist-ing hospital has no recreation re-creation area, no hobby area, no dining area that could be used for nursing nurs-ing home patients, and no place to participate actively act-ively in a social group. The only accomodations the hospital can offer these patients is a bed, three meals a day, a television set, and a small room. Although this care is not adequate for a patient who will stay any length of time, it is helpful for those patients pa-tients who can no longer be classed as acute care, but still need a week or two of skilled nursing care, and up to this time have been sent to nursing homes out of Grand County or have remained in the hospital only to have Medicare refuse to pay their bill. 7. Question: What will be the tax increase per person per year to retire 5950,000. in bonds. A. Assume that there are 6.800 residents in Grand County, the cost of construction per person per-son would be Sy.50.000. divided by 6.800 or$140. divided by 20 ears (this is the allocated time to pay off the bond) this equals $7.00 plus interest inter-est (approximately $3.00 per person, per year). B. Of the approximate cost of $10.00 per person per-son per vear. Revenue Sharing will pay 75r; of this as long as Revenue Sharing exists. C. Any unpaid balance not covered by Revenue Sharing will come from properly tax which is broken down as follows. 1. I liliiies and business busi-ness pay approximately 60": of property tax. 2. Home owners and others pay approximately approxi-mately -Hi';. I:i summarv we .should all remember that when a person is admitted to a nursing home it becomes be-comes their home, and every effort must be made lo make the stav as pleasant and rewarding as possible. |