Why Selling Off the Health Center is a Mistake

Family values are strong here in Wisconsin, and most folks would agree that we take care of our aging parents.  Not only is it a nice thing to do, but we have a moral obligation to help our seniors.

So why is the St. Croix County board of supervisors even considering selling off the Health Center Campus in New Richmond? And it isn’t just happening here; other Wisconsin county boards are also looking at privatizing their county nursing homes. It’s going on in Sauk, Portage and Lincoln counties to name a few.  

Our county nursing home has been operating in the black since its second year, and construction loan payments are subsidized by the county budget. About 3 cents of every $1 of County property tax revenue pays down the $15 million balance on the $21 million 20-year loan.

Selling it to the highest bidder would still leave millions owed, and there’s no guarantee that a for-profit, private operator would continue to serve Medicaid or reduced-pay residents. Good luck getting into another facility, as there are only 362 skilled nursing beds in our county.

Attend the August 27, 5 p.m, meeting of the County Board, and make a public comment. Our Health Center Campus has higher value to us than any sale price. It doesn’t make financial sense nor is it the morally right thing to do.  Let’s show up and let our supervisors know that their budgets are moral documents—they reveal our values and priorities.

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