Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Health Care topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Island Nursing Home leaders seek town funds as facility faces recurring deficits
Summary
Representatives of the Island Nursing Home told Stonington Selectmen the facility faces recurring operating deficits and asked the town to consider funding or other support; Selectmen pressed for detailed financials and noted any town funding would require a petition and town‑meeting vote.
Representatives of the Island Nursing Home (INH) asked the Stonington Selectmen for town help to keep the facility operating, saying the nursing home faces ongoing deficits and significant financial uncertainty.
At the Nov. 21 meeting, Skip Greenlaw and Leon Weed told the board the INH cannot currently sustain itself on Medicare and other revenues. "We need to put up or shut up," Greenlaw said, urging towns to consider a financial request. The representatives described operating shortfalls and discussed options for restarting or maintaining residential care capacity in the community.
Town Manager Billings and Selectmen pressed for clearer, up‑to‑date financial statements. Billings said the town would need a formal petition to place any appropriation on a town‑meeting warrant; the board declined to pledge funds without a formal article and supporting documentation. Selectmen noted questions about whether prior budget figures reflected current costs and inflation.
Earlier in the summer, INH board members had told the Selectmen they were struggling with staffing and housing shortages linked to the facility's potential closure, and had floated the idea of asking towns for housing units and other supports. In August, INH representatives described larger funding needs during public comment and told the board they were willing to attend monthly meetings to keep towns updated.
The Selectmen did not approve any immediate appropriation. Officials asked INH representatives to provide detailed financials and a clear proposal if they intend to pursue a town‑meeting article. The board also signaled it would prefer to consider a narrowly scoped, fully documented request in public session rather than informal pledges.
Next steps: INH representatives will provide the Selectmen the specific budgets and the town will evaluate whether to place a funding article on a future warrant; any appropriation would require a citizen‑petition or Selectmen referral and a town‑meeting vote.
