Residents and emergency crews urge county to block plan to convert Bonhams Nursing Home into treatment center

Residents packed a Huntington Township meeting to oppose an application that would convert Bonhams Nursing Home into a drug‑and‑alcohol treatment facility, saying the change would strain already stretched volunteer emergency services and leave long‑term care residents at risk.

Dustin Thomas, fire chief of the Huntington Valley Volunteer Fire and EMS Company, told the meeting the region's volunteer responders are at capacity. "Right now, no volunteer department in our area could do that," Thomas said, describing a recent call that left his ambulance tied up for about four hours. He warned that adding a facility that could house up to 77 people would add frequent calls for overdoses, missing patients and assaults that the local volunteer system cannot absorb.

Neighbor and longtime social worker Yvonne Bender said notice to residents and staff was inconsistent and that the community has not had a chance to vet the owner’s plan. Reading excerpts she obtained from the zoning office, Bender cited the applicant’s ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine) level descriptions, noting the proposal includes outpatient and higher‑acuity services and asking whether the operator is prepared to manage violent or suicidal patients. "I will be going up to the hearing, and I will be presenting my case," she said.

Several current and former nursing‑home employees told the meeting the facility has maintenance and staffing problems that predate the ownership change. One staff member said the facility’s north wing is closed, reducing current capacity to about 50 residents, and called into question whether the site could safely host a treatment program without substantial upgrades. Another employee said the owner has promised renovations but has not followed through.

Speakers also raised zoning, septic and traffic concerns and questioned whether nearby institutions — including a Mennonite school described by a resident as about 200 yards away — would be protected. An EMS captain noted area hospitals sometimes declare psych diversion and stop accepting psych patients, asking where patients in withdrawal or with violent behavior would be taken.

Meeting participants reported mixed communications from the new ownership: the moderator said she had spoken by phone with three representatives and asked them to withdraw the March 4 special‑exception application so the owner could meet the community first; the representatives reportedly told her notices were sent earlier than planned.

The change‑of‑use application requires a county zoning hearing because the nursing home is a nonconforming use under county rules. Meeting speakers and the county‑planning representative urged residents to attend the Luzerne County zoning hearing set for March 4 at 7:00 a.m. on the third floor of the county courthouse; they said a 30‑day appeal window exists if the board approves the change.

The meeting closed with repeated calls for turnout at the zoning hearing and offers to collect written concerns that residents asked be submitted to the board.

The zoning board has not acted; the special‑exception application remains pending and will be decided at the March 4 hearing.