After 18 years, Country Home Assisted Living to be sold

Dear Editor,

As I look back over the past 18 years here at the Country Home Assisted Living I have so much to be thankful for, I have been so blessed! It seems like it was yesterday, Darrel Carney starting digging the footings on a cold winter day on December 1st in 1996. I’ll never be able to repay all my friends who helped to make the Country Home a reality. Roger Ferrell and Craig Mangis digging and install the septic in the middle of winter. Craig Ottinger loaning us his backhoe to do the digging. Lyle and Carol Stewart staining all the doors and trim, Pastor and Nancy Fercho for painting. Mary Mangis and Madelyn Ferrell helping Sonia move in to the upstairs apartment. Darren Anderson helping me put the water well pump and pressure tanks in. Gary Anderson bringing his scraper up and helping with land scrapping, and loaning me his bobcat to move dirt without me even asking. Tom Anderson loaning his tractor to build the road. Laura Pankratz for doing a great job of running things while I was working out of town. The wonderful staff I’ve had over the years. I know I’m going to miss acknowledging so many people who helped me in so many ways during the building of the Country Home and volunteering, donating their time and resources to make the Country Home a better place. It’s hard to believe there has been 117 different residents who have live here.

As all things in life there is a beginning and an end. Over the past 4-5 years I have had conversations with the Phillips County Hospital and Hi-Line Retirement Center about the possibility of purchasing the Country Home. I have always felt that consolidating the two facilities would be a wise decision that would insure the viability of long term care in Phillips County.

It is with mix emotions that I announce that I have proposed the sale of the Country Home to Hi-Line Retirement Center and they have accepted my proposal. There is still some details and paperwork to complete to finalize the purchase. Hopefully, all will be completed by mid-February. My goal is to have everything wrapped up and the doors closed by March 31. I will be working with the staff and management of Hi-Line to make this a smooth and timely transition for the residents, families, em-ployees and the community who all are involved.

I believe this decisions is part of the solution to attain and maintain viable quality long term health care in Malta and Phillips County today and for the years to come.

Duane Murray

Malta