New operator begins leasing nursing home

Christian Care Center of Shelbyville, a subsidiary of Johnson City-based Care Centers Management Consultants, took over operations of Bedford County Nursing Home on Saturday. The county commission met Monday night in a special called meeting to finalize the paperwork.

"They have all their CON's -- certificates of need -- in order," said Mayor Eugene Ray after the meeting. "Nobody objected at all."

The county retained the nursing home when it sold Bedford County Medical Center in 2005, believing the facility to be profitable. But the nursing home was hit hard last year by fines and a brief moratorium on new admissions. Commissioners made the decision to lease the facility.

The final vote to grant the lease to CCC was made in July, but the county had to wait 30 days while the company was approved by the state.

At Monday's meeting, commissioners went over the contract and inventory, including medicines and food, as a final step. Ray said the company was retaining all current employees.

"They hired everybody back," he said.

Ray sad the county's nursing home committee was also officially disbanded Monday night. The company will pay Bedford County $10,000 per month in rent for the nursing home if it uses the existing cafeteria, which is located in the adjoining old Bedford County Medical Center. If CCMC were to build its own cafeteria, or obtain food service from off-site, it would only have to pay the county $2,000 per month.

Gary Parker, vice president of operations for CCMC, said at a previous meeting the company has no plans to build a cafeteria and would like to continue using the existing facility. If the current cafeteria were to become unavailable, for example, if the county decided to dispose of the hospital building, Parker said CCMC would still like the county to provide a cafeteria.

Bedford County will remain responsible for major structural maintenance -- for example, replacing a roof or an air conditioning unit -- while the company is responsible for other routine maintenance, such as painting, plumbing, landscaping and personal property. The lease also sets requirements for CCMC to provide insurance coverage.