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Stonington Selectmen Press for Details as Island Nursing Home Seeks Town Support
Summary
Representatives from the Island Nursing Home told Selectmen the facility faces staffing and budget shortfalls and requested municipal assistance; Selectmen asked for clearer, updated financials and said any town funding would require a town‑meeting warrant and detailed proposals.
Representatives of the Island Nursing Home (INH) told the Stonington Selectmen the facility is facing staffing shortages and a mounting budget gap and asked the town to consider financial assistance while they work on a plan to reopen or stabilize operations.
At an August meeting the INH delegation described staffing and housing challenges and said the facility may require substantial funds to retain skilled‑nursing beds; board representatives later asked towns for support and for housing solutions for staff. In November, INH representatives asked the Selectmen for $100,000 to restart the facility as residential care only, and Selectmen pressed for up‑to‑date budgets and clarification on whether the funding request would be a one‑time infusion or a recurring need.
Town Manager Billings told the board she had not yet received complete, recent financials from INH and warned that the facility’s previously stated deficit figures might not account for post‑pandemic inflation. Selectmen said that any grant or appropriation from the town would have to be authorized at a town meeting; they also said they would need clearer cost projections and a plan for how municipal funds would be used.
INH board members, including Skip Greenlaw and Leon Weed, described prior petitions and community efforts to preserve skilled nursing capacity but acknowledged uncertainty on revenue streams and long‑term viability. A Selectman noted the need to distinguish between preserving beds and subsidizing operating deficits, and pressed INH representatives to return with reconciled financial statements and a specific, time‑limited request for town consideration.
The Selectmen did not authorize direct funding at the meetings summarized in the transcript; rather, they asked INH for more complete documentation, discussed whether a town‑meeting warrant would be required, and encouraged INH representatives to attend future meetings with detailed budgets and proposed terms for any municipal support. The board also discussed local housing as a key constraint for staffing retention and recommended coordinated follow‑up with neighboring towns.
The Selectmen flagged the issue for future agenda consideration pending receipt of the facility’s updated financials and a clear proposal for how town funds would be used.
