MCHD approached about developing Hayfork parcel

BY AMY GITTELSOHN THE TRINIT Y JOURNAL
The nonprofit Mountain Valley Elder Care owns undeveloped property next to the senior apartments in Hayfork and would like to see something done with it to benefit the community.

The organization has approached the Mountain Communities Healthcare District Board to see if the district would develop health care-related facilities on approximately two acres if it were donated to the district.

“We’ve got this plot of soil, and we’re looking for somebody to plant a seed in it,” Mountain Valley Elder Care President Stan Ehler told healthcare district board members at their Aug. 19 meeting. The parcel remains with Mountain Valley Elder Care after the nonprofit entity’s donation of land for the existing independent living apartments and for a public safety building planned by the Hayfork Fire Protection District.

Ehler explained that the original intent had been for the land on Hyampom
Road to be used for an assisted living facility to complement the 30 independent living units developed already by Eskaton Hayfork Manor. Due to additional licensing requirements for assisted living for medical staff and distance from a hospital or trauma center, that has been determined to not be feasible, he said.

“We wanted to still offer that land up to a service that would be a benefit to the Hayfork community as a whole,” Ehler sa id in an interview. The gift would come with strings attached that the land be developed into a health facility open to everyone.

“Physical therapy is one issue sorely lacking over t here,” Ehler said, calling such a service a key need for helping seniors remain in their homes.

“We’re looking something along the lines of physical therapy, a clinic, adult day care -- or whatever else may arise,” Ehler said.

“We just saw Mountain Communities Healthcare District as being a logical partner in this,” Ehler said. “If it’s not something they choose to pursue, we would look for other avenues.”

These d iscussions are in very preliminary stages -- as Ehler described it, “The toe is just going in the water right now.” Healthcare District President Matt Hudson called it an “intriguing opportunity,” but noted that while there may be funds to start up a program, there can be an issue with how to keep things going. However, he said this is worth looking into.

Board member Jerry Cousins agreed to check with the county grants department to see if there is funding for a feasibility study, perhaps through community development block grant funding.

“The board is correct in seeking to develop some sort of feasibility study and needs assessment and getting the community involved,” Ehler said after the meeting.

In other news from the healthcare district ’s Aug. 19 meeting, CFO Thomas Pyper reported that the district showed a profit of $44,000 in July. In addition to operations revenue and costs, the figure includes $72,000 in tax revenue and subtracts $65,000 in depreciation. For the year to date through July, the hospital showed a profit of $331,000, which is ahead of the budget that anticipated a $280,000 profit.

CEO Claire Kuczkowski said Trinit y Hospital was not as badly hurt by the state budget as feared. The big cut was from Medi-Ca l for dental ca re for adults 21 and over. However, that has been  largely offset at the dental clinic by increased visits from children and privatepay patients. She noted that Medi-Cal will still fund dental work for adults with toothaches or during pregnancy.

Also, Kuczkowski noted that payments for patients in the skilled nursi ng facility have been frozen at $270 a day, and there were cuts to com munit y cli n ics.

Because Trinity Hospital is designated as a Critical Access Hospital, it was exempt from  he 10 percent Medi-Cal cut for inpatient pay ments.