Bloomfield Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center closing after Iowa Co. board vote – WMTV – NBC15
DODGEVILLE, Wis. (WMTV) – An Iowa County skilled nursing facility is closing following a vote by the county board of supervisors, who said it was in the best interest of the county, the center announced on Facebook Wednesday.
Bloomfield Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center reports the Iowa Co. Board voted 15-5 during its meeting Tuesday in favor of closing the facility.
The health care center explained that during the discussion, supervisors stated the cost to operate the facility over the past several years has greatly exceeded the revenue generated. Staffing shortages and the potential need for costly maintenance have also been recurring issues the health care facility has faced.
Iowa County has had to implement short-term staff contracts with health care agencies in order to fill staffing, Bloomfield Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center continued, which is a significantly higher cost than hiring county employees. The county paid almost $850,000 in 2021 for contracted staff to work at the facility.
County Board Chair John Meyers said the decision ultimately came down to a number of factors that led to the decision to close the center.
“I don’t think anyone wants to do this, but we are in a critical situation right now where it is in the best interest of the County to pursue this option,” Meyers stated. “Our focus moving forward will be to responsibly close the facility and compassionately work with the residents, employees, and staff to ensure their needs are met. The State has strict guidelines and timelines for conducting this type of procedure, and we will make sure that all of the residents and all of the affected employees will be taken care of in the process.”
In terms of Bloomfield’s employees, the facility explained that the County is considering options to compensate and incentivize those affected to continue working throughout the rest of the closure process.
Current Bloomfield residents will be placed into other local facilities or facilities within the area. Bloomfield will not be allowed to close until the State finishes assisting Iowa County with placing residents into alternate facilities.
Bloomfield added that the decision to close the facility has been a reality for some time, as the county has hired various consultants over the years to determine how to move forward with its situation. None of the suggestions ever panned out, including the advisory to partner with another agency for service or sell the facility to a private company.
PRESS RELEASE Iowa County has started the process to close the Bloomfield Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. At…
Copyright 2022 WMTV. All rights reserved.
