Feb 22, 2017 2 min read

The potential sale of the Washington County Health Center has been a hot topic for the past four months. It is the home of approximately 230 residents of Washington County. Many of these people have been hardworking, contributing members of our society. Others may have physical or mental handicaps that make it impossible for them to live independently.

It will be detrimental to county residents who will eventually need nursing care services in the future if the health center becomes a for-profit enterprise. If a person is unable to afford the “private pay” bill that all for-profit agencies charge, they will no longer be guaranteed a Medicaid-assisted spot at the health center. They will then have to either look elsewhere for another facility that will accept Medicaid, or return to the community and struggle with the limited services that are available to them.

There will be a cap put on the number of Medicaid patients in the facility. Maybe this doesn’t mean much to some county residents, but to those who have elderly, sick or disabled loved ones that need a place to spend the duration of their lives, and cannot afford the approximately $8,000 per month that nursing facilities can charge, it will be an eye-opening experience to find a place that is safe, clean, nurturing, and affordable.

I’m begging the taxpayers of Washington County and the commissioners to please rethink the sale of the health center, bargain with the union, and make the necessary cuts that need to be made and were recommended by the audit that took place last year. Washington County residents deserve to have the Health Center remain their “home.”

Angela Smith

Washington

Smith is a caseworker at the Washington County Health Center.