Valley View Holds Community Meeting To Discuss Levy Measure

After spending the past month touring Valley County, Valley View Home’s administrator Wes Thompson and Haylie Shipp, with the Vote Yes Valley View campaign, stopped at the Cottonwood Inn in Glasgow on May 19 to discuss the upcoming ballot measure to extend the previously approved $300,000 annual levy for three years for the skilled nursing facility. If approved, the funds would be used to maintain operating expenses. Absentee ballots have been mailed out and as of May 23, 540, 16 percent, of the absentee ballots sent out for the June 7 Primary Election have been returned to the Valley County Election Administrator.

In the event the levy passes, Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital Board of Trustees has agreed to match the $300,000 levy for three years to help keep the sustainability of Valley View Home. Thompson admits the facility has had a sub-committee board meeting to discuss the what-if scenarios in the event the levy does not pass.

During that meeting, it was determined there is strong enough funding to last well over a year. Since they have last went over the various scenarios however, it just recently found out Valley View received the Provider Relief Funding Phase Four grant that was applied for in September 2021, but the amount received will be announced within 90 days. The Valley County Commissioners have also awarded the home $500,000 through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding “with the Commissioners not yet spending another $500,000 with the thought that could help in the future, but that would be completely on the Commissioners” explained Shipp.

As of the meeting on May 19, the census of Valley View Home was 54 residents, and as part of the what-if scenarios, calls were made within a 150-mile radius to see who would have the space to take the residents in the event Valley View would close. After making those phone calls, Thompson stated there would be the ability to provide a nursing home within that radius for 12 of those residents. “Of those 12 residents, they’re better not be obesity, any history of physical or verbal or emotional abuse, any mental impairments, because they will not be accepted at any facility within 150 miles,” explained Thompson.

“All very similar situations to Valley View where they don’t have the staffing. Valley View has been very cautious in who they take on and when they get requests from out of county, if it’s anything too complex, especially, they have to turn them away because being partially funding by Valley County residents, it’s important that we keep spaces open for Valley County residents when they need the care,” explained Shipp. “Valley View Home, we are staying open, no matter what, for any Valley County resident. That’s the best we’re doing right now,” reiterated Thompson.

Thompson also stressed they are trying hard not only to stay open but also maintain quality care. “Our quality care will stay top notch, even until hypothetically, we actually have to close. That’s not even a question. It never will be,” Thompson explained.

Thompson admitted Valley View needs time, as there is light at the end of the tunnel financially. The government is slowly trying to release guidelines, and is recognizing some responsibility for the increase in operating expense as a result of the COVID pandemic. He also stated Valley View is working with the Government Accountability Office Senior Analyst Division to prove how much the facility was affected financially with the hopes funds will be provided to be able to compensate for the regulations that were imposed. “I truly believe it’s going to take time and that’s why we’re here. I need time,” he stated.

The hour-long meeting started off with a discussion explaining how 2019 was a stellar year for the facility and how the pandemic of 2020 hindered the progress that was made the year before. In 2018, voters first agreed to approve the three-year, $300,000 per year levy, with the funds first being utilized in 2019. “2019, with the help of the $300,000, was a year that completely met the balanced budget,” stated Shipp.

According to Thompson, 2019 worked because when he took the position as administrator in 2018, there was a business model put into place that included goals Valley View had to reach, including having a minimum number of residents. When he joined on, he admits it took a while to rebuild the foundation of trust that was lost as a result of management and employee turnover.

“The first thing, wasn’t the money. It wasn’t rebuilding the census. It was rebuilding trust and trying to devote people to allowing us to take care of their loved ones. By the end of 2018, we were able to rebuilt that construct. Once we rebuild that and we increased the census, we had the ability to increase investment in our current employment. We didn’t increase the employment, we simply devoted more funding to our current employees and what that provided was a retention of over 70 percent,” explained Thompson. “With that togetherness of the 70 plus percent of full-time employment...combined with the average census of 67.5 for the entire year of 2019 we were able to balance the budget comfortably, and then 2020 hit.”

Prior to the pandemic, he stated a budget and huge goals were put into place to improve the facility, including a boiler project, which is already saving the facility $700 a month, and an LED light project, which was approved by the Valley View Nursing Home Foundation, and is currently 70 percent complete but on hold due to funding. “These simple things are what we’d already put in place in the year 2019 while still balancing the budget. So when we came in 2020, we were damn optimistic. We knew we had construct staff. We had the retention, we had the efficiency building getting stronger and strong. It felt good but when COVID hit, it hit all of us,” Thompson stated.

He explained how when COVID hit, Valley View had to follow a number of regulations, which cost dollars and cents to implement as well as staff left due to the regulations they had to follow and the consequences associated with following the regulations such as getting yelled at by residents and their families. As a result, contract staff had to be hired on in order to provide the care necessary for the residents.

“I can tell you, I am the administrator of a nursing home. I can’t stand all of these regulations. I can’t stand having to abide by these regulations and we have to stay open. At the end of 2019, I had 124 employees on staff. To date, I have 68.....The first wave of employees leaving long-term care were having to abide by mask wearing, having to abide by getting tested, having to and then later on getting vaccinated. Also due to the stress. Imagine being so stressed, you are getting yelled at by residents because they want to see your face. You’re getting yelled at by family members and visitors because they don’t feel comfortable and you hate everything involved but you have to abide by every single one of those stupid things. I lost tons of staff due to that. It was unfortunate,” explained Thompson. “Then the next wave hit, contract nursing.”

He explained how clinics and hospitals had an increase in patients due to COVID, and as a result they needed more staff. Nursing agencies stated staff was asking for two to three times more and it was decided since it was supposed to be a “quick pandemic” and “temporary,” facilities would pay the staff what they are asking because the facilities needed the staff to care for the patients. As Thompson explained, then FEMA, mandated by the federal government, stated testing and vaccinations needed to occur and provided funding to get the staff necessary to do that. “I’ve been in the medical field and I have been a director/administrator for over 15 years. I’ve never seen a physical therapist or occupational therapist or speech language pathologist be cheaper than a registered nurse,” said Thompson.

Though Valley View Home received COVID funds to help with the cost increase associated with the pandemic, Thompson admits it was not enough funds to cover what is needed. “It’s the only reason we’re still open but it isn’t going to create future sustainability. The State of Montana has lost five facilities already since 2020. And all of those facilities have the same thing in common They’re just like Valley View Home, they’re not connected to hospitals. They don’t have huge swing bed status where I can provide Medicare because Medicare is a patient we will be reimbursed $800 a day versus a Medicaid $211 a day and change” said Thompson.

Thompson welcomes anyone who couldn’t make the meeting, have questions or would like to have a conversation regarding the ballot measure, to contact him at Valley View Home, 406-228-2461, or to stop by, 1225 Perry Lane, Glasgow.