Trinidad nursing home faces uncertain future

Anthony A. Mestas

Nov. 6, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- TRINIDAD -- The future of the Trinidad State Nursing Home remains uncertain after a measure that would have increased taxes to allow the local health district to pay for the home's initial operations went down in a crushing defeat.

The one-year-old Las Animas County Health District has been trying to purchase the aging facility for the past several months.

Referendum 5A, which health district leaders said would have significantly helped with the acquisition of the nursing home, failed 2,840 votes to 1,474 votes in Tuesday's election. The measure asked voters for a $2.4 million tax increase annually to help pay for its operations, maintenance and administration expenses and $950,000 for initial nursing home operating expenses.

Lee Burkholder, nursing home administrator, said Thursday that he is disappointed that the measure failed. "The main consequence of the failure of 5A is that the facility will be purchased by a for-profit nursing home chain instead of a local organization. And right now we do not know what chain will end up purchasing the facility," Burkholder said.

Burkholder said that the health district and several other town and county leaders were counting on the measure to pass. He said that without funding there really is nothing the health district can do.

"If the measure passed, that would have been the only source of funds. If it passed, the community would have had more control over what the future looked like for the local nursing home," Burkholder said.

"Without those funds, that future is going to be at the doorstep of a for-profit nursing home chain."

Burkholder said that the staff and residents of the nursing home recognize and share the concern that the voters have had about this economic recession.

"We are disappointed that we could not explain more convincingly that Trinidad Nursing Home would have been a wonderful investment for the community rather than a cost to its citizens. Nevertheless, we believe in the power of the ballot and now we will begin work toward some alternative solution," Burkholder said.

Burkholder said that he has no doubt that the nursing home will still be here in a year caring for the elderly and infirm of the community.

The facility, which operates on an annual budget of about $6.5 million, has been losing about $1 million a year since 1999.

Last November, community members were informed the state considers the home a financial burden. A bill was drafted to allow the state to transfer ownership to the nursing home and thereby remove it from state obligations.

In the months following, health district members began trying to take over the nursing home to keep it open under local ownership. Last month, state officials cited fiscal reasons for rejecting a $450,000 bid from the health district to take over the nursing home.

Karen L. Beye, executive director of the Colorado Department of Human Services, said that the district's final offer was roughly 10 percent of the appraised value of the facility.

The department is pursuing bids for the nursing home. Burkholder said that state officials have said that it is not their intention to close the facility.

"I suspect that there will be interested parties in purchasing it at some price," Burkholder said.

Las Animas County Commission Chairman Jim Montoya said that what happens next is up to Gov. Bill Ritter's office.

"The state will decide the future of the nursing home. Everything was hinged on whether this ballot measure would pass," Montoya said.

Montoya said the commissioners support all efforts to keep the nursing home open with continuity of care for its residents.

Commissioner Jim Vigil said he is disappointed that the facility will not be locally owned, but that the most important thing is that the facility will remain open.

"As long as it stays open. That's a consolation prize because we can't do without a home for all our senior citizens," Vigil said.

"You can't refute what the taxpayers have said, I mean they voted pretty overwhelmingly that they didn't want anymore taxes."

The nursing home has 136 employees and 96 residents ranging from 48 to 100 years old.

Jesse Manzanares, president of the health district, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

anthonym@chieftain.com

Newstex ID: KRTB-0154-39514098