A Basin nursing home has closed because the hospital that owned the it didn’t have the money to keep subsidizing the care center.
The cost of operating Three River Healths’ Bonnie Bluejacket Memorial Nursing Home for the past six years has been more than the revenue earned.
Interim CEO Rick Schroeder said they thought they found a temporary solution by increasing the amount of money they receive from Medicaid per patient. But Schroeder said when they announced to the community that they may close, many went ahead and found other care centers.
“So we had the same amount of overhead with less revenue coming in now because so many people have left,” said Schroeder. “And so with that being said, it's just even with that extra money, there was no way to keep it open.”
He said the 21 patients that were living at the home were able to find other centers in the region. By closing the care center, the hospital is saving over $900,000 a year.
“So, the impact of the $900,000 that was there [at the care center] is gone now,” said Schroeder. “And so the salary dollars are gone, the expenses have dropped way, way down…food costs and medical supplies and personal care items have dropped way, way down.”
The pandemic and inflation are some of the reasons for increased operating costs. Critical access care hospitals are struggling financially across the nation. Schroeder said community support is incredibly important for these types of hospitals.
