Future uncertain for BCNH

Heritage Medical Center may have settled into its new location on U.S. 231 North, but the skeleton of Bedford County Medical Center remains on Union Street in Shelbyville, and right next door sits its sister, Bedford County Nursing Home.

Over the last several months, questions have been raised at county meetings and around town, as well as comments being posted on the Times-Gazette web site, as to what's next for the county-owned buildings.

Will they remain under the county's ownership? Will the county keep the nursing home, but sell the hospital building? Should they keep both buildings and turn the old hospital building into a larger nursing home or assisted living facility? Should the hospital building become a jail ... or perhaps county offices? Or, should both be sold?

Questions seem endless, but county officials have been working toward garnering answers.

Different options

Regarding the hospital building, County Mayor Eugene Ray said the county has looked at different options, which include making it a jail or even moving county offices into the building.

"We've been advised that's not the best thing to do," said Ray.

Requests for proposals (RFPs) on the hospital building, as well as the nursing home and the old Harris Middle School, have been drawn up by attorney John T. Bobo, but so far, Ray said they haven't heard much.

RFPs set the conditions for formal bids to take place on the facilities, and anyone may bid on them.

Recent incidents

The last county commission vote on selling the nursing home was 16-2 in favor of retaining it, according to Ray.

But, in lieu of recent incidents at the nursing home, Ray said it is possible that feelings on that may have shifted.

Ray said that vote took place "before two people fell and died." One incident was determined by state officials to be the fault of the nursing home, and the other was determined not to be the nursing home's fault.

"(Recent incidents) have not helped to encourage me not to sell," said Ray, although, "recent allegations have made the nursing home more efficient."

In April, the commission voted 16-2 against doing a survey on whether to sell the nursing home, as reported at that time in a Times-Gazette article.

Admissions were suspended and the facility was slapped with hefty fines following a May 25 incident in which a resident died after falling out of a lift chair. The state found the nursing home to be at fault in this matter, but after corrections were made, the state lifted the admissions suspension on July 14.

A second resident died in late June after falling at the nursing home, but this was determined by the state to be an accident.

The nursing home was fined due to the first death, and Wayne Schumann, nursing home administrator, expects those fines to be around $162,000, which would be 35 percent less than the original figure. The county would receive the discounted rate if the fines are paid in full.

The money to pay the fines comes from the self-sufficient nursing home's general fund, which Schumann reported to be around $750,000 at a County Commission meeting earlier this month.

While problems were corrected at the facility, Ray said he doesn't believe the county needs to be in the nursing home business for the long-term. The employee at fault was fired, "but that doesn't take away the cost," he said.

Necessary improvements

Improvements to the nursing home are necessary to consider in deciding whether the county keeps or sells the facility.

"At some point (the nursing home) needs some major renovations," said Ray.

So far, the nursing home has put in its own hot water system and its own smaller boiler. Prior to this being done, all the hot water from the nursing home and all of the heat for the front of the nursing home came from the hospital building.

"It would cost $50,000 in utilities a month if we continued to use the hospital boiler and heating system," said Schumann.

Other immediate renovations include separating the fire panels, which the nursing home currently shares with the hospital building. Schumann said plans to separate the panels were scheduled for this week.

Schumann said the county had so far authorized him to spend $100,000 in renovations.

At some point in the future, especially if the hospital building is sold but the nursing home remains county-owned, it will need a new kitchen.

Schumann said the nursing home will continue to use the old hospital's kitchen until next year, at which point a new kitchen may be built at the nursing home.

Ray said the county is expecting its first utility bill for the old hospital building, which is pretty much shut down with the exception of the kitchen, on Aug. 18. Ray said the bill, for the building and property, could range from $20,000 to $50,000.

Ray said that when talks of selling the hospital first came up, many people didn't think it was appropriate to do so. However, after seeing the new facility, "the taxpayers can see the benefits ... the same thing could happen with the nursing home."

While options are still up in the air, if Schumann could have his way, he said he'd like to investigate the possibility of turning the old hospital building into a self-sufficient, not-for-profit, assisted living and senior center that's not subsidized by the county.

"I'd like to do a study on that," said Schumann. If the study indicated a need for such a facility, "let's proceed, do the renovations and make it an assisted living facility ... There is HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) funding available for something like that."