McLEANSBORO —
Hamilton Memorial Nursing Center is officially under new management.
Tuesday night, Hamilton Memorial Hospital District’s board of directors approved several legal documents related to the takeover of the local nursing home by The Tutera Group of Kansas City, Mo.
Walnut Creek Management Co., LLC, a subsidiary of Tutera, takes over management of the nursing home effective today (Thursday).
“It’s been a rocky past several months, but the board and administration is very excited, and glad it didn’t come to having to close the nursing home,” HMHD Chief Executive Officer Randy Dauby said following the board’s approval of a half-dozen motions related to the changeover.
The new management expects to be meeting with families of current residents of the nursing home, “hopefully as soon as next week,” Dauby said.
Hamilton Memorial is still moving toward the sale of the nursing home to Tutera, contingent upon state approval of a Certificate of Need, Dauby said.
The sales agreement is for $500,000, which includes the building and “fixtures, furniture and equipment,” he said.
For the past several months, Hamilton Memorial has been trying to find an outside party to buy or lease its nursing home, citing ongoing financial losses of $35,000 to $40,000 per month at the facility.
At a public hearing June 18, Dauby announced that the district was in negotiations with Tutera regarding the nursing home.
Tutera owns, operates or manages more than 40 skilled-nursing and assisted-living facilities in 11 states, according to provided information about the company.
“I think Tutera will be very good to work with,” Dauby said.
Hamilton Memorial Nursing Center is in its 40th year of operation, according to information on the hospital district’s Web site.
Tutera is planning to convert the 60-bed, intermediate-care nursing home to a skilled-care facility, which is expected to increase admissions, Dauby said.
The new operator is already taking bids on renovations to the nursing home’s bathing areas and the nurse call system, he said.
Under the agreement, the facility will be known as Hamilton Memorial Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, LLC.
Several side agreements — including food, laundry and phone service and rehabilitation services — are still to be worked out, Dauby said.
In addition to the management agreement, the hospital district board also approved an addendum to collective bargaining agreements in place with the nursing home’s employees; the local Laborers’ unit has already approved the addendum, Dauby said.
At present, employees of the nursing home officially remain employees of the hospital district; when the sale is completed, they become employees of the new owner, Dauby said.
Tutera will be bringing in its own administrator for the nursing home, Dauby said. The company will bring in someone on a temporary basis until it hires a permanent administrator, he said.
“I feel glad to get it done,” Dauby said of the agreement, “and glad to be able to keep providing jobs to the community.”
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Related Photos
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Hamilton Memorial Nursing Center, which under new management will be known as Hamilton Memorial Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, LLC. Paul Lorenz
New manager takes over local hospital’s nursing home
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