The Simpson Memorial Home has taken a step back so it can take a step forward when it comes to future growth after the Covid-19 pandemic halted expansion.
“The pandemic threw a wrench in our plans five years ago,” says Director Clifford McFerren about the board’s former plans to expand into the field east of the townhomes.
“Therefore, they took this opportunity to re-examine the needs and abilities of our campus and pivot with better and more cost-effective plans,” he adds.
The plan now is to place a new nursing home next to the existing nursing home and connect it to the Assisted Living Center.
They then will have the ability to remodel the Simpson building and add more assisted living units.
The Simpson Memorial Home was originally built in 1974, it currently has a census of 34 out of 65 beds, while most of the 18 apartments at the Assisted Living Residence are full.
Meanwhile, Heath Manor Independent Living Apartments currently has 16 of its 23 apartments filled while all six townhomes at Simpson Village are occupied.
As devastating as the pandemic was, it showed the board that their plans were not as conducive to future pandemics or staffing issues as they thought.
Therefore, they took the opportunity to re-examine the needs and abilities of the campus and pivot with a better and more cost-effective plan.
The $22 million project will house 55 residents. Although plans have been finalized, no official announcement has been made as of yet.
“Things have changed dramatically in healthcare and with our personal needs,” says Director McFerren on future expansion.
“Newer and better amenities such as more therapy options and better technology will help meet the needs of residents for the next 30 to 40 years,” he says.
He states that the biggest change for the nursing home and its other facilities is that residents don’t want to share a room, most want to have a private room.
Plus, with new building code requirements and space needs, a new building will be almost twice as big as the current Simpson Home, which was originally built to house 65.
“Our Board of Directors have been extremely practical and fiscally responsible in that we do this project right the first time,” says McFerren.
The goal is to pay half of the $22 million price tag through fundraising and the rest through financing and operations. This means the first phase will focus on fundraising.
Originally, new construction was going to coincide with improvements to Maxson Ave by the Dutton Sports Complex by the City of West Liberty.
But the city and the home went their separate ways due to Covid-19.
That being said, the Maxson project, which includes a sidewalk and walking path, will still benefit the Simpson Home. For instance, it gives the home a clean tie-in with street elevations and sidewalks.
Currently Simpson Home has 80 employees ranging from full to part time.
It started an education fund that will help sponsor staff members willing to better themselves and the facility.
“This has been very useful in our nursing department allowing staff to become certified nurse aides or actual nurses,” says McFerren.
As for all this talk about Covid-19, the Simpson Home has done reasonably well in the grand scope of things. The pandemic may have caused the board to re-examine expansion, but the nursing home itself has remained safe.
“We have been fortunate that the only cases of Covid have been mild and mostly in staff members getting it from the outside community,” says the director.
“Even though you see restrictions being lifted in the community, we still have to abide by strict quarantine and personal protective equipment for 7-14 days depending on the outbreak,” he says.
Members in the community only have to quarantine for five days. The CDC is discussing reducing that further, but not for nursing homes.
Longtime readers of the Index may remember a feature on Whiskers the cat, who lived at the Simpson Home for nearly 15 years.
Unfortunately, Whiskers passed away three years ago. However, the silver lining has been a black cat named Sophia. She has lived at the nursing home for five years now.