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Resident describes mistreatment and high bills at local nursing home; commissioners to meet hospital district
Summary
A county resident told the commission her husband experienced unprofessional staff behavior and costly bills at the local nursing home; commissioners noted the hospital district has a new interim CEO and said county staff will raise the concerns at an upcoming meeting with hospital officials.
Carol Blowers delivered lengthy, emotional public testimony describing problems she says her husband, George, experienced at the county nursing facility. Blowers praised many aides and cooks but said some staff behaved unprofessionally, that property (glasses, hearing aids) went missing, and that recent bills had been burdensome: “my bill up there this month, the the last two months was $8,495,” she said.
Blowers recounted specific incidents: repeated difficulties contacting staff by phone, a staff member she described as “screaming” on the phone, and a string of events that left her feeling ignored. She said some long-time skilled staff resigned after those staffing changes and asked commissioners for help in getting the hospital district’s leadership to address quality and respect for residents and families.
A commissioner acknowledged the concerns and said the county will be meeting with hospital district representatives in the coming weeks; commissioners and staff noted that the facility is operated by a hospital district and that the county’s direct authority is limited except where county-owned facilities are leased. Staff and a commissioner identified Doris Gilbertson as the hospital district’s interim CEO and encouraged Blowers to raise the complaint directly with district leadership and at the district’s board meeting that evening.
