Delegation flags multimillion-dollar operating losses at Riverside rest home, schedules dedicated review

Multiple members of the Strafford County Delegation told the executive committee on Feb. 20 that Riverside Rest Home has recorded large, persistent operating losses and needs a dedicated review of finances and options.

"The 7.165426 million that we are showing as an operated loss...is huge," Representative Sal said when urging that the deficit and related figures be added to the minutes and receive further examination. Several members cited multi-year losses and asked for clearer Medicaid cost reports and comparisons with private facilities.

Representative Wall, chairing the Riverside subcommittee, defended the facility’s operations and quality of care. "I continue being enormously impressed with how Riverside has managed how well the residents are cared for," she said, noting efforts to limit reliance on expensive agency nurses and to maintain infection control and specialized behavioral-health units.

Members debated causes for the cost gap: downshifts in state and federal funding; differences in how private facilities allocate overhead, benefits, and pension obligations; and local decisions about admitting high-acuity patients. Some representatives called the per-resident county cost (figures cited by members included amounts in the six-figure range per resident) unsustainable and urged nonpartisan, practical solutions.

The delegation agreed to convene a separate nursing-home-focused meeting (planned for April) to allow sufficient time for staff to present detailed cost reports, staffing trends, Medicaid cost reports, and potential policy responses. Representatives asked that those materials be circulated in advance.

No formal vote on major policy changes was taken at the Feb. 20 meeting; the committee emphasized the need for more data and a public, focused forum where stakeholders can probe options.