Frequently Asked Questions
Since the announcement that Newport Hospital& Health Services is exploring the possibility of opening a childcare service, we’ve had a lot of questions. This Frequently Asked Questions page will provide regular updates.
If you have questions you’d like to see addressed, please email them to [email protected]. While we may not be able to answer every question right away, we’ll do our best to keep you informed.
Has the board made a decision about this yet?
No, at this point, we are only in the initial exploration phase of even considering a vote to change the scope of service for the building. If the board chooses to move forward, it will take considerable time to complete the transition. There are many factors to consider.
Will current residents be forced to move out of the area?
No residents will be displaced or forced to move out of the area. If we can combine the existing residential care population into one building, it allows us to consolidate staff and provide primary focus in one location.
Are you putting the daycare in the new building that the taxpayers voted to support in 2018?
No, it’s not the new building supported by the voted UTGO bond. It’s the building we purchased in 2003 for use as an independent assisted living facility.
Why don’t you just keep things the way they are at River Mountain Village?
Currently, we only have 28 residents (42 beds available) at River Mountain Village, and we’ve been struggling to bring in more residents for the past year. At the Advanced Care building, we have 58 residents (72 beds available), and we’ve never been successful at filling those rooms. The daily census for both buildings is only decreasing, despite marketing and recruitment efforts.
Why are you considering this change?
The national trend is to support aging at home, which is a pivot from 2018 when we built the additional assisted living facility. That means more services are available to support people who wish to age in place, rather than move to a care facility.
Isn’t the assisted living facility (River Mountain Village) profitable?
No. In 2023, the hospital district lost over $2,000,000 within our residential care service line (both facilities). We have done everything we can to reduce costs while still providing exceptional quality care for our residents. Last year, the loss was cut almost in half ($1,200,000), but that loss is still not sustainable, nor is it a responsible use of taxpayer dollars. It should be noted that the loss of $1.2M last year was with an even higher resident population.
Why childcare?
There is an overwhelming need for childcare in the community. The 2022-2023 Pend Oreille County Community Health Needs Assessment identified childcare as a priority issue in the community. We know for a fact that many of our employees struggle with finding childcare, and it has been a barrier for us in recruiting healthcare workers.
Are there any other considerations for the space?
We are also exploring keeping a portion of the River Mountain Village building available to our elderly population for senior daycare. If we can get approval from the State for this type of model, it would be ideal, as we get more calls for senior daycare and respite care than we do for residential care. (We’ve also recently added residential respite care to the services available at the Advanced Care building, and so far, it seems to be successful.)
With that said, if we kept the building an Assisted Living facility, we would not be able to co-mingle daycare within the walls of the complex. The regulations are stringent and do not allow for outside activities to occur within the walls of an Assisted Living.
