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Neighbors administrator warns of nursing-home bed shortage and staffing limits; most residents are local
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Summary
Carmen Meyer, administrator of the Neighbors county nursing facility, told the board the facility receives about 83 referrals a month but admits roughly 15, leaving many patients to seek care outside the area.
Carmen Meyer, administrator of the Neighbors (the county-run nursing facility), updated the Dunn County Board on admissions, capacity and staffing on Nov. 11.
Meyer said the facility receives multiple referral sources—primarily hospitals such as Mayo Health Systems and Marshfield—and on an average month over the last 12 months the Neighbors received about 83 referrals and admitted roughly 15 people, creating a persistent mismatch between demand and capacity. "We admit roughly 15 a month," Meyer said, "so that's quite a bit of people going outside of our area."
Meyer described the admissions process: social services receives referrals (often via Epic CareLink), nursing conducts clinical reviews, finance confirms payer and authorization, and extensive paperwork and assessments (the admissions packet was described as 97 pages) feed the minimum data set used for Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement. She said barriers to admission include bed availability, patient acuity (behavioral health and psychiatric needs that require higher-level care), infection outbreaks and Medicaid payment uncertainty when an applicant is pending.
Supervisors pressed Meyer on staffing and finances. The board learned one household remains closed (14 beds) because of staffing shortages; Meyer reported the facility employs about 130 internal and 25 agency staff. She said most residents previously lived in Dunn County. Supervisors and Meyer discussed recruitment strategies including college job fairs, CVTC and UW partnerships, and volunteer programs (Meals on Wheels and musical events) that support resident engagement.
Why it matters: The facility's limited capacity and reliance on Medicaid make it sensitive to both local workforce conditions and any changes in federal/state reimbursement policies. Supervisors thanked Meyer for operating within budget and for community partnerships that help sustain programming and staffing.
What's next: Meyer offered to provide a detailed cost figure for maintaining a closed household on request; supervisors encouraged review of her written annual report included in the board packet.
