Strafford County delegation opens special committee on nursing-home options, funding and home-care supports

Delegation Chair (name not specified) opened the meeting of the Strafford County nursing‑home special committee, saying, “We are advisory only, not statutory, so there really isn't a quorum required,” and asked members to focus on practical next steps rather than ceremony.

The committee’s nut graf: committee members, county commissioners and facility staff spent most of the session tracing why counties operate nursing homes, reviewing how Medicaid and Medicare financing shifted cost burdens to counties, and laying out choices the committee will analyze — from building or renovating a county facility to expanding home‑based supports, assisted living and public‑private partnerships.

County history and legal duties formed the first part of the discussion. A county commissioner (name not specified) gave a detailed account of how, after the Civil War and later federal programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, New Hampshire counties assumed responsibility for long‑term care housing even as hospitals and skilled acute care moved to the private sector. The commissioner summarized the current legal position as county officials described it in committee materials: the state statute obliges counties to pay for long‑term care for residents who are both financially and medically eligible, and county commissioners appoint administrators for county nursing homes (material provided…