Rockland/Camden — A study has been commissioned by the region's health care organization to address the challenges of operating long-term care facilities in Knox County.
This comes as the Knox Center for Long-Term Care continues to suffer an operating loss of about $1 million or more annually.
Coastal Health Care Alliance -- the parent board that oversees health care operations in the region including Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport, Waldo County General Hospital in Belfast, the Knox Center in Rockland, and Quarry Hill in Camden -- issued a statement Thursday, Jan. 30.
"The Coastal Healthcare Alliance Board recently voted to enter into a study period to determine the most efficient and patient centered plan forward for CHA affiliated long-term care and nursing facilities in Knox County."
Coastal Healthcare said it has formed a partnership with Sandy River, what it calls a highly respected Maine-based senior care development firm. Sandy River is currently working with MaineHealth on several nursing care projects.
"Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County General Hospital are committed to senior services in the region, and the planning process initiated by the regional board overseeing them is aimed at addressing the facilities and operational challenges inherent in the long-term care field," the statement continued.
The initiative is in the very early stages, according to Coastal Healthcare. Completion of the exploratory process will take several months. Coastal Healthcare Alliance will provide updates as they are available and will provide opportunities for the community and colleagues to review any plan and provide feedback in the upcoming months.
Staff and residents or their families at the long term care facilities were notified Wednesday about the study.
“The population of Knox County is the oldest in the nation, and we are pleased to be in a position to develop a plan to secure this vital service for years to come,” said Mark Fourre, President of Pen Bay and Waldo County General Hospital in the Jan. 30 statement.
The concerns about the Knox Center particularly have been ongoing for years. In November 2016, the then administration of Coastal Healthcare issued an internal memo that recommended hiring "a consultant to perform a study of the healthcare needs of seniors in the Knox County area to determine the feasibility of providing long-term care services in the future. The Knox Center for Long-Term Care incurred an operating loss of $1.2 million in FY 16,"
Dr. Fourre said in an interview after the release of the Jan. 30 statement that similar financial losses have been experienced at the Knox Center in subsequent years. He said inadequate government reimbursement for long-term care contributes to the financial losses.
He said all options will be considered.
The focus by Coastal Healthcare during the past few years has been to stop the financial losses at Pen Bay which has been accomplished as the hospital was in the financial black for the first time in several years. The attention can now be turned to the long-term care side of health care, he said.
The Knox Center has been operated by Pen Bay Medical Center since 1976, when the hospital was built in Rockport and the former Knox Hospital in Rockland was converted into a nursing home. The center has 84 beds.
The Knox Center was eyed for possible closure back in 1983, when it was also losing money. A community group formed and came up with proposals that led to the nursing home's remaining open.
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January 30, 2020 at 06:39PM
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Study to look at future of long-term care facilities in Knox County - By Stephen Betts - Courier-Gazette & Camden Herald
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