We learn with nice curiosity Rep. Len Turcotte’s visitor column in Foster’s Each day Democrat. Rep. Turcotte is clearly misinformed relating to the county nursing house venture. Maybe it is because he didn’t attend a virtually three-hour workshop the place a lot of his detrimental feedback have been addressed.
The architect and price estimator have been current on the workshop and answered questions from delegates who joined us each within the room and remotely that Rep. Turcotte recommended have been unanswered. This venture isn’t any totally different from different county tasks the place all points of the work can be topic to aggressive bidding to regulate prices.
To check a nursing house to a home is like evaluating apples and broccoli. Homes are anticipated to serve one household at a time over 50 years. The Strafford County nursing house can serve greater than 200 households at a time, with one room anticipated to serve greater than 100 households over the identical 50-year interval. The common home is not constructed to supply bodily remedy, occupational remedy, employees schooling, or most of the different companies essential to ship the high-quality expert well being care that Strafford County gives. The Middle for Medicare & Medicaid Companies would not set minimal dimension and amenity necessities for homes — they do for nursing houses. For instance, housing building prices could be a lot increased if one toilet was required for each two residents like they’re in nursing houses.
In what should be an effort to shock the reader, Rep. Turcotte fails to level out that he was suggested that offsetting revenues can be found to fund the nursing house venture that aren’t obtainable for a house owner. These offsets embody grant(s) made obtainable by Gov. Chris Sununu, totaling $50,000,000 and obtainable solely to county nursing houses in addition to offsetting operational revenues that come from issues a brand new constructing would enable that the present constructing doesn’t, like elevated employees efficiencies and extra capability to maintain sicker residents.
Maybe Rep. Turcotte additionally missed the truth that the Strafford County commissioners have produced a price range below the tax caps of the cities of Strafford County for the final 13 years and with Rep. Turcotte’s help throughout his tenure. Whereas the cities in Strafford County should not have voter-initiated tax caps, they do profit from the cities’ tax cap course of and we’re conscious of their price range obligations to their residents as nicely. This plan displays the very definition of fiscal accountability that Strafford County residents stay with day by day — do not buy one thing if you do not have a accountable solution to pay for it. The Strafford County commissioners pledged that if this venture was authorised, it could once more keep below the town caps.
The involvement of the cities within the venture was for a two-fold objective. We approached the cities to supply the “outdated Riverside” to them to assist them cope with the housing insecurity plaguing our area. Statistics present that the cities in Strafford County serve nearly all of the homeless, partially as a result of helps are extra concentrated there. The second cause was to work collectively to get details about the venture out by televised conferences in every of the cities. We felt then, and proceed to really feel now, that the extra the voters of Strafford County find out about your complete venture, the extra they may help it.
The choice to delay the Sept. 6 follow-up assembly was in response to suggestions from many Strafford County delegation members on the informational workshop that Rep. Turcotte didn’t attend the place representatives requested for extra details about the cash obtainable to Strafford County to offset venture prices.
One of many greatest potential sources, the County Nursing Residence Infrastructure program sponsored by Gov. Sununu, had an software due date of Sept. 9, 2022 with award selections anticipated by early October. We felt ready till we may report on this award standing would give the preliminary “no” voters the chance to confirm our dedication to seek for each offsetting greenback obtainable for the venture. The preliminary vote to help the venture on the Aug. 24, 2022 assembly was enough to use for that funding. Rep. Turcotte is an energetic consultant, so he most actually has expertise following assembly agendas and dialogue. His assertion a couple of rushed vote is tough to reconcile with the fact, the place the Republican delegates paused the assembly for greater than half-hour to caucus. As a caucus is generally a possibility to debate agenda gadgets requiring a vote, maybe a possibility was missed to get readability.
One can not help however discover that Rep. Turcotte’s total commentary leaves out a very powerful side of this venture — the sick and aged people who Riverside Relaxation Residence serves. His letter falsely speaks to “lacking” information that have been addressed at a gathering he didn’t attend. Rep. Turcotte additionally fails to handle that this venture is greater than a nursing house substitute. The proposed constructing helps efforts to assist folks age at house if they like and keep out of nursing houses longer. That is the one manner that our long-term care system can proceed to perform and be reasonably priced as our inhabitants of aged will greater than double within the subsequent 20 years and triple within the subsequent 40 years. This building is a 50-year scalable venture that meets most of the wants that include that progress.
Extra: Strafford County nursing house venture vote on maintain, however optimism for passage builds
Rep. Turcotte’s quote “this can be a county nursing house, not a excessive finish luxurious condominium complicated” is solely inflammatory. There’ll by no means be confusion between the proposed nursing house and a “excessive finish luxurious condominium” however we completely consider our ailing and aged family members, having paid taxes their entire lives, deserve a secure, wholesome house to stay out their lives with dignity. We don’t agree that high quality end-of-life care ought to be restricted to folks with massive financial institution accounts, as Rep. Turcotte appears to be suggesting and we’re certain that’s not what the folks he needs to signify for his or her family members.
Rep. Turcotte, you might be revered as a really conservative consultant. Individuals rely upon us to provide them appropriate data to allow them to make selections on vital tasks. We’re calling on you to attend the conferences you ask for to reply the questions you increase so you’ll be able to present full and correct data that the voters can depend on.
George Maglaras, chairman; Robert J. Watson, vice chairman; Deanna S. Rollo, clerk, are Strafford County commissioners.
This text initially appeared on Fosters Each day Democrat: Commentary: Strafford County NH commissioners defend nursing house plan