Ottumwa Manor to close

By MARK NEWMAN Courier staff writer

August 29, 2008 10:57 am

— OTTUMWA — A local nursing home is closing, but officials there said the transition for residents will be smooth.
Ottumwa Developments Inc. has made the decision to close Ottumwa Manor, located at 927 Pennsylvania Ave., effective Sept. 30.
“We’re in very good standing. We have all our licenses, [financially] we’ve never missed a payroll or anything,” said Ottumwa Manor Administrator Jo Broerman, “and no one [working here] has jumped ship.”
“They are not being closed down by the state,” confirmed Jeanne Yordi with the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs. “They contacted us. This was their decision.”
The closure is voluntary, verified David Werning, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals.
In a press release, Ottumwa Developments, Inc. blamed a combination of Iowa’s low Medicaid reimbursement rate, rising costs and new, costly regulations for the decision. There are 45 residents.
Kim Huston, the assistant administrator, said some longtime nurses and other staff shed tears at the news of the closing; she’s been there 17 years, their cook has been there 20 years and Broerman has been with the company for 50 years.
Yordi said the Department of Elder Affairs has heard four nursing homes across the state make the same announcement this week.
She said some companies have found it cost prohibitive to update a 40-year old building like Ottumwa Manor to meet changing standards.
“There’s nothing wrong with this building,” she stressed Thursday. “Times are changing; long-term care is changing.”
Yordi said she didn’t want people to get the wrong idea when they see a state presence at the home.
“We’re here to help them, not to watch over what they’re doing,” Yordi said.
Werning, too, said the Department of Inspections and Appeals would probably have more of a presence at Ottumwa Manor for the next few weeks.
Yordi said she and the center’s staff are assisting residents and families in the search for another home that would be a good match.
Huston said they try to place residents not just in a place they’ll be happy, but also a place where it’s convenient for family to visit. That may be more challenging, she said, because she just got word that another southern Iowa nursing home is closing.
She said she’s hopeful that working as a team with family, staff and the state, residents’ needs all can be met.
The decision to close was “made official” on Monday, Huston said.
“The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, the Long Term Care Ombudsman, the Department of Human Services, the residents, their families and the employees have been notified of this action,” states the company release.
Broerman and Huston will be staying on: The company owns the land and the building, and will consider options for future use, Broerman said. But now, she added, staff is focused on keeping residents comfortable and helping them make the transition to a new home.
Before that transition, Yordi requires representatives of care facilities to make appointments to speak with residents and their families. The transition, she said, has been orderly, and she expects a steady flow of “a few residents” are being placed each day.
“Everybody is working together great,” said Huston, adding that despite what people may hear about the industry, “it’s not a back stabbing business.”
Just in case, though, Yordi said part of her state-assigned duties are to “guard the door.”
Mark Newman can be reached at 683-5358 or by e-mail at mgnewman@mchsi.com.

For your information
Family members or residents with questions can contact the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman at (800) 532-3213, or the Ottumwa Manor at (641) 684-4594.

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