STEVENS POINT, Wis. (WSAU) — The possibility of a combined elder health facility to replace the Portage County Health Care Center and part of the Sisters of St. Joseph’s convent infirmary is being considered.
County Board Chairman Philip Idsvoog says no decisions have been made, but they are exploring the possibility of building a new elder care campus along with the Sisters of St. Joseph. “We’re exploring basicly, a new nursing home that will partner up with the nuns of St. Joseph’s, and quite frankly, exploring the relationship that would exist with a non-profit running it.”
The Portage County Health Care Center Committee recommended working with the convent to see if combining their assets and forming a non-profit board to operate the new center is a viable option. “We’ve got to see if that makes sense, and a big grey area that currently exists is what role Portage County would play on any governance board. As far as I’m concerned, once you have a non-profit running an organization like this, we’re not going to have really any say in terms of who gets hired or who doesn’t get hired, because non-profits run their own organization.”
County Executive Patty Dreier says this is only the early stages of studying the option, but she believes the potential is there to create a much better facility that meets the needs of the elderly, which the present facility can’t efficiently do. “Basically, what we’re looking at is the potential, because this isn’t any kind of a done deal, but the potential of having the Sisters (of St. Joseph’s) contribute their land, and having the county contribute it’s 100 licensed nursing home beds. When you put that together, that gives us a core around which we create a senior living continuous care community, kind of a community hub including a new nursing home, and assisted living, and memory care, and independent living.”
Having a non-profit board of directors run a multi-facility elderly campus is not a new concept. Dreier says it’s being done successfully elsewhere. “There are models like this that have been lifted up in other parts of the nation, and the State of Wisconsin, and so Portage County’s got to do Portage County’s mission, and this is where you’re going to need extra help around the table, and so if there are others that have the model and can guide us through it, that would be awesome.”
Committee members expressed concern about maintaining a facility that can accept anyone, and not just a percentage of people on Medicaid or Medicare.
The committee has forwarded a resolution to next Tuesday’s Portage County Board meeting seeking approval to fully explore the non-profit partnership option with the Sisters of St. Joseph’s convent.
If built, the new facility would be located at the Maria Drive property already owned by the Sisters of St. Joseph.
Dreier says one possible use of the present Portage County Health Care Center is to seek an agreement with the Veterans Administration, which is looking for more space for homeless veterans.