Over 100 turn out for Hi-Line Retirement Center Public Forum

Over 100 Phillips County residents spent nearly 70-minutes questioning a 16-member panel of Hi-Line Retirement Center officers, board members and former board members about the center's current $500,000 financial shortfall, hiring procedures and employee retention at a Monday night meeting held in the auditorium at Malta High School.

While Hi-Line Retirement Center (HLRC) has worked very hard to be independent and manage any and all of their financial situations (and) challenges on their own, according to literature handed out at the meeting, they have come to the conclusion that with this most recent sustained low nursing home census (35, when budgeted breakeven is 43.5 and capacity in the nursing home is 52) that they needed (and ) wanted to think outside the box and do something different so as to get different results to address the immediate $500,000 finical shortfall.

Orvin Solberg, who welcomed the large crowd to the meeting, moderated questions asked by those in attendance and monitored the event.

The first question asked of the panel was why so many traveling nurses are used at the HLRC when there are so many nurses in Phillips County who are looking for work?

HLRC CEO Ward VanWichen said that he is often asked that question and stated that there is a multitude of reasons why people chose not to work at the center.

"Either we aren't the right fit or visa versa," he said. "We'd love to have the people of our own community work for us, we'd like to grow our own and have them work for us, but sometimes they make their own choice or we get put into a position where we need to help them make a choice and we need to separate ways."

The question was raised of who at the HLRC was recently asked to take a reduction in hours – down from 40 to 32 – and if any of the center's CEO had also taken a cut?

VanWichen said that not all of the HLRC's staff took a reduction in hours, but rather 10-to-12 people (all non-direct care employees) agreed to work less hours.

"The direct care people, the nursing staff and CNAs did not take any cut in hours," he said. "Did we (CEOs) take a cut? Yes. Cheryl (Weaver, COO) did take a cut in hours."

VanWichen explained that though Weaver did take a cut in hours she still works more than 40 hours a week, though her paycheck is only for 32-hours. He also said that neither Steph Denham, HLRC CFO, nor himself receive paychecks from HLRC but are rather paid through management contracts and neither have taken a pay cut, though on a personal level VanWichen is making donations to the fundraising account.

The question as to whether a levy could be paid by the taxpayers of Phillips County to help fund the HLRC? VanWichen said that there are other retirement facilities in Montana that are county owned and added that though he hasn't looked into the idea he is also not ruling it out.

The question as to how many CEOs are currently being paid for services at this time – namely former admin Larry Putnam. It was explained to the audience that Putnam, during his tenure with the Phillips County Hospital, elected to have part of his wages to be put into a retirement fund at the time.

"That retirement fund was set up and that is money Larry had put away while he was the administrator of the hospital and that is being paid to him on every payroll."

One audience member said that she wasn't pleased with the financial statement that was on hand for people to read. HLRC CFO Denham said that the statement provided to the crowd is the same that she presents to the board each month, but added that a more detailed report could be had. The question as to whether the statement could be published in the Phillips County News, was argued that it would not be cost effective and much of the information is of a personal nature. It was added that the statement could be posted online for the public.

The question as to why some former residents of the HLRC – former, lifetime members of Phillips County – were moved to different facilities across the state? Weaver said that the number of former residents that had moved to different locations is small and often times are moved because so they could obtain the type of care that they required.

"We have had a few that have gone out to different facilities that have come back to us to continue their care," she said. "We try very hard to care for all the residents of Phillips County in the best way that we can, but we want to make sure that we are providing the care that is best to them. Sometimes that is not available at our facility."

VanWichen added that those people number less than 10.

"We want them to stay here too," he said. "But we've got to try to look at them individually and what their needs are."

The question of how the HLRC is budgeting for the upcoming year, and how they arrive at numbers, was asked. VanWichen said that the board looks back at the history of the facility and over the last 10 years HLRC has averaged 40 residents per year. He said that number ebbs and flows and that last year when the process was started that the number was at 45.

"Last year when we budgeted at 43.5 (residents) that was a conservative approach," he said. "Apparently, not conservative enough. The first place we will look is at 40 and go from there."

The panel was asked if the HLRC does any advertising for residents – both locally and on a larger spectrum – and said that the board didn't feel like that idea was a good return on their investment.

The panel was asked if the $500,000 funds that the HLRC is looking to raise, was any portion of that money used to buy the Country Home in Malta. Board Chair Rick Mikkelson told the audience that the $60,000 price tag on the Country Home was paid for through a low-interest loan from PhillCo.

One member the audience named of nearly a dozen family members who have lived at the HLRC (and Good Samaritan Society) over the years and pointed to the great care they received and how much the enjoyed there stay. She said those facts are due to the great nursing staff at the facility and added that taking care of the staff should be a top priority.

"You have to do something to get our good people back on the nursing staff and not have travel nurses," she said, "because no matter how dedicated a traveling nurse is, they cannot care for your family member the way that a person who has lived here all their life can."

The comment was met by a large applause from the audience.

The panel was asked how many of the Country Home's former residents made the decision to move to the HLRC after the facility was purchased? VanWichen said that when the Country Home was purchased there was the potential for all 13 residents to move to HLRC and they were given the choice of whether or not to move to HLRC.

"We needed about six to eight of those folks to come to us to really help us on this side of the line," he said.

Weaver said that three former Country Home residents were placed in HLRC's assisted living program and three were placed in the nursing home with the potential of one more resident in each of those locations.

At maximum capacity, the HLRC is licensed to accommodate 52 long-term-care residents, six independent apartments and 16 assisted living residents. Denham said the HLRC is looking to expand the latter number of residents.

At the conclusion of the public forum, HLRC resident Pete Score asked to add a final thought.

"I would like to say that I have been in the rest home for two years and I have yet to find anybody who is not cooperative, and not real professional," Score said. "I thank them all."

The public is both welcome and encouraged to attend HLRC's monthly board meetings. The meetings are tentatively held on the last Tuesday of each month at noon. For more information call 654-1190.