Bond FAQs – April 2016 Election
Newport Hospital and Health Services (NHHS) Board of Commissioners approved a resolution to place a special bond request to voters in the April 26, 2016 special election (to fund a new building). On May 6th, the vote was certified in favor of building the new facility. The bond funds will be used exclusively to build a new assisted living facility to replace NHHS’s current long term care unit (nursing home).
Board Minutes Associated with the UTGO Bond
Board Minutes: August 27, 2015
Click here for a complete list of question and answers – FAQ’s
Property Tax Estimator Spreadsheet – Assisted Living Bond
Click here for a copy of the factual mailer that was sent this spring.
Existing Long Term Care facility:
- Our Nursing Home was built in 1968; a remodel to bring it up to current code is not feasible.
- The need/demand for residential care is expected to increase in the future.
- Service rates – (residents, families, and State) pay much higher costs for nursing home care. The same care, in a more dignified environment (similar to River Mountain Village), can be provided in a high-level assisted living facility at a much lower cost (approx. $3,000 – $4,000/mos., less)!
Our new rural health clinic ground-breaking is scheduled for completion late Summer 2016. The new clinic will combine our operations (Family Medicine and Family Health Center) under one roof. We expect it will allow us to gain operating efficiency and to better coordinate our care delivery. It will also allow us to recruit new medical providers to the community – we currently have no room to house a new provider.
The new primary care clinic, the cornerstone of our base delivery system, will provide for additional exam rooms and space for two new providers. Presently, 10,000 plus community members (28,000 visits) utilize our clinics, annually.
NHHS will finance construction of the new clinic without taxpayer assistance. The District is simply unable to finance the cost of both a new clinic and a new assisted living facility with available reserves and debt service capacity.
After reviewing the FAQ’s , please let us know if you have questions. Questions may be directed to Tom Wilbur (NHHS CEO) [email protected]; Michele Page (NHHS Residential Care Director) [email protected]; or Jenny Smith (NHHS Marketing and Foundation Director) [email protected]. You may also call (509) 447-9307.
