Public input wanted on county nursing home

STEVENS POINT - The public is invited to share thoughts, concerns and ideas about Portage County's plan to contribute $10 million to a new nonprofit nursing home in lieu of building its own.

Portage County has wrestled for years to determine the future of its health care center, located on Whiting Avenue in Stevens Point. The County Board has considered options including renovations on the existing facility and building a new nursing home. This year, as part of her proposed plan for capital spending, County Executive Patty Dreier suggested the county instead donate $10 million to an effort led by the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis to build a nursing home.

Under the new proposal, the county would donate the money along with 60 beds from the nursing home for a new center on land donated by the convent on Maria Drive. A new nonprofit would form to run the nursing home, which would be part of a campus of facilities.

As a county committee reviews the proposed idea, county leaders invite the public to provide feedback on the idea. The Portage County Health Care Center Committee will host a meeting Wednesday evening to discuss future plans for the facility.

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The proposal drew criticism from one member of the committee, Meleesa Johnson, who was elected to the County Board in April. In a memo to the committee chair, Jerry Walters, County Board Chairman Phil Idsvoog and Dreier, Johnson described the committee's handling of the proposal as "slipshod." She said committee members deserved more concrete information before a vote.

The memo outlined nine questions and concerns she had about the proposal, including how the change would affect residents and employees of the existing facility.

"I would hate to think that ex parte communications occurred related to this vote, akin to a walking quorum and an open meetings violation," she wrote. "But given that most members of the committee seemed quite plugged into what was expected for the capital request, I can conclude nothing else."

Sari Lesk: 715-345-2257 or sari.lesk@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter @Sari_Lesk.

Meeting on Portage County Health Care Center plans

When: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Conference Room A at the Lincoln Center, 1519 Water St., Stevens Point