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GoogleAny lease agreement would ultimately have to be approved or denied by Bedford County Board of Commissioners.
Commissioners voted in March to seek proposals from private operators to lease the county-owned nursing home. Some commissioners see this as a prelude to someday selling the facility; others are firmly opposed to a sale and believe the county should keep ownership of the facility.
Care Centers Management Group, based in Johnson City, owns some facilities and operates others under lease agreements like the one being proposed here. The company's Gary Parker, speaking at previous county meetings, has said that in some cases a county has leased its facility to Care Centers Management Group and then become comfortable enough with the company to sell the facility outright at the end of the lease. Although the company uses the name "Christian Care Center" for some of its facilities, it is not affiliated with any specific denomination.
The county sought requests for proposals from companies interested in a lease and has been negotiating specific terms with Care Centers Management Group. The first public mention that CCMG was the chosen bidder was at Tuesday night's joint meeting of the county commission's courthouse and law enforcement committees; commissioners were specifically invited to attend the nursing home board meeting.
Thursday night's meeting will be held in the first floor courtroom at the courthouse.
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The commissioners are all for jails, which is necesary and state mandated, but what about the seniors in most cases? Some are determined to get rid of the nursing home one way or the other. People wake up and help to keep our nursing home without higher prices, less employees, and etc.Call your commissioners.
Yes, call your commissioners and let them know the county does NOT need to be in the nursing home business. People said for years that it would be a terrible mistake to sell the hospital. It happened and people are still getting the care they need and I have not heard a valid complaint.
Let the government provide the necessary services that are not available by private business and get out of everything else.
I can not agree with PoorMe. The people of Bedford Co. do not get the care they had before. I know personally of people who have been turned away because of no insurance or no downpayment. I worked for Bedford Co. Medical Center for most of my nursing career. I do agree citizens should speak with their commissioner. The commissioners should also speak with the nurses at the nursing home. They can give you valued information on ways to save money and make the institution run efficiently. One commissioner, Joyce Tune, came and spoke with the nurses prior to the sale of the hospital. More should have spoken with us.
I have heard directly the opposite, that the level of care at Heritage Medical Center is improving. I have no knowledge of anyone being turned away from HMC for financial reasons, but the county, like HMC, is not in a position to provide medical care to anyone who shows up. It's not our responsibility as taxpayers to prop everyone up. I've said it before and I'll say it again... YOU are responsible for YOU. And yes, I have been in a situation where I needed medical care that I had no way to pay for... and I didn't get it until I could. That taught me a valuable lesson, and today I am prepared for life's little pitfalls. I WORKED until I reached that level.
But back to the issue at hand... the county has long been in the Nursing Home business, which it knows little about. Administrators have come and gone, and the county owned nursing home is much the same as it was 30 years ago. We need to quit hanging onto things simply for the sake of "it's always been that way". When the county constructed this nursing home, it was out of necessity, because there were few "privatized" options available. Decades have passed and the business climate has changed tremendously. The "privatized" options available to us now will provide a greater standard of care and relieve the county of the great financial obligation that potentially hangs over it's head. Does anyone need a refresher on last year's nursing home fiasco ?
Two months ago I would have been of the opinion that Bedford County Nursing Home should be privatized for the benefit of the patients, since I do have a loved one there. It would be nice to have upgrades, and cosmetic refurbishing and more efficient heating/cooling, etc. However,since I have had to deal with Heritage Medical Center on a patient/ hospital basis, I have changed my mind. Each month in the credit bulletin there are PAGES of names of people being sued by Heritage Medical Center. They seem to take a very hard-nosed stance on unpaid medical bills. I understand that businesses have to be paid , and accounts have to be current, but I seem to recall a large sign at Bedford County General Hospital in the ER informing people that no one could be turned away or refused treatment based on their ability to pay. I haven't seen that sign posted at HMC. Another problem I have with HM, is that recently I had an outpatient test scheduled, and as I was registering, the clerk notified me how much my insurance would pay, how much I would owe and asked how much of that I could pay up front that day. I was offered a 25% discount if I paid the entire balance. The first balance she gave me was ridiculous because I knew I had met more of my deductible than what she quoted. I took out my cell phone and was about to call Blue Cross when the registrar said she would do it for me. After the call it was determined that I did not owe as much as requested. I am fortunate to have insurance, and I also contribute to a company sponsored flex account to cover my deductibles, co-pays, etc. I have to have invoices to document the amount of money I spend from my flex account, since it is based on pre-tax dollars. I paid the balance HMC said I would owe after insurance using my flex credit card. When I received my Blue Cross EOB they had paid more than what HMC had estimated, so I had actually OVERPAID HMC. I know this is a long story, but worth taking heed to, because the moral of this story is try getting a refund from HMC when they owe YOU money. After three requests for a statement or invoice of the service done in April so that I can send it in as documentation of the expenditure, I still have not received one. After speaking in length with at least two different people in their billing department, I still have not been able to convince them that they owe me money, and now they are saying they credit me a 15% discount (?????) That was not the deal, and I have paperwork proving they offered me the 25% discount, and that I overpaid the balance remaining after insurance payments. This is the same place that sues the daylight out of people who owe them money!! So, my stance has changed on privatizing the BCNH. If the business practices of HMC are any indication of what we are to expect from every private enterprise, then boy are we in trouble!!
i totally agree the nursing home needs some improvements, raises for employes,better management. if you spent any time with our residents you would realize the importance of keeping our nursing home. maybe all you negative people need to come and volunteer sometime,dont forget youre gonna be old someday.