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Today's Poll: Should the County Nursing Home be sold to a private company?

By Howard B. Owens
Dave Olsen

Either is fine for me just so long as it is an Informed decision. The decision to sell or not should not be a purely fiscal or a purely popular opinion one. The legislators, themselves have to be personally informed on the issue. They need to understand it from all sides, taxpayer, patient, employee, management. Hiring a company to do a study or tasking the county manager to give a recommendation is not going to cut it. I'm not saying the legislators have or have not done this, I don't know; I'm just saying they should because we really, truly need to get this one right.

A rational solution not an emotional settlement

Apr 2, 2013, 7:56am Permalink
Brett Orr

Every decision that has been made in regards to the nursing home has been a fiscal one. I had dinner with my wife and almost a dozen other occupational and physical therapists that are now unemployed thanks to the decision to bring in Freedom Therapy. All men and women from the area that truly loved what they do and loved the people they care for. I watched my wife sit and cry night after night because the powers that be in that nursing home made decisions solely on saving money. Not one decision made in the best interest of the patients. It breaks my wife's and the other therapists hearts.

I watched these good men and women share tears because they had to say goodbye to one another after many years of working together. I watched them cry because they all knew that the quality of care that the residents get will not be the same. I could go on for days about my dislike for Freedom Therapy and it's owner... But I will keep that to myself.

It's only my opinion of course, but I feel the county really got this one wrong. It's a shame. It really is.

Apr 2, 2013, 11:13am Permalink
Jim Rosenbeck

I have to ask myself this question. Can the nursing home be privatized, still provide the same or better quality of care and reduce cost to the county? If the answer to BOTH those questions is yes, then I cannot imagine any rationale for continuing in the nursing home business. I don't take any pleasure in seeing anyone lose their job and experience the pain that Mr. Orr describes above. However, as a county, we don't have the financial luxury of continuing any course of action if the only rationale is to preserve government jobs. Mr. Orr questions whether the decisions made by administrators are based on the needs of the residents or just designed to save money. I believe we have an obligation to do both. Lets dare to take care of our elderly and our tax payers.

Apr 2, 2013, 2:58pm Permalink

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