Four years after Eden Park Nursing Home closed, Schoharie County is still trying to figure out how to replace it.
A coalition formed by Gene Milone of Schoharie will hold a meeting Thursday at 7pm at the Best Western.
Mr. Milone told the Board of Supervisors Friday that the coalition needs their help-but not necessarily their checkbooks.
“I am not advocating that the county build or operate a nursing home,” he said. “I’m well aware we can’t afford that. But we need to answer the cries of our seniors...”
The coalition hopes to mobilize public support for a skilled nursing facility and dialysis center-something supervisors said they're already working toward.
“I understand that this is an issue that can raise passion-we all want to see this come to pass,” Middleburgh Supervisor Dennis Richards said, after telling Mr. Milone, “this board does not need to be led by this coalition on this issue."
Supervisors' Chairman Harold Vroman of Summit said he met with Cobleskill Regional Hospital's Eric Stein for an hour and a half Thursday, asking what the county can do to speed up the approval process for Certificate of Need (CON) CRH is seeking for a nursing home as well as the necessary grants
"He said we just need to wait to hear something," Mr. Vroman said. "It's a very delicate situation with grants."
Esperance Supervisor Earl VanWormer suggested both the hospital and the county need to be more aggressive in advocating for a nursing home.
"It's the squeaky wheel that gets the grease," he said.
"We're all going to be there someday. If we just sit back, it'll never get done. I think Gene deserves some credit."
Several speakers also pointed out that like the hospital, built in 1956, any nursing home will need to be built with financial support and donations from the community.
Spokesman Joanne Gleba said Monday that CRH's CON for a 100-bed nursing home with a 25-slot adult day care program on the hospital campus, submitted to the State Department of Health in April 2010, is under active review.
The nursing home's current estimated cost is $24,639,344.
Also under active state review is a state grant application for $10 million for construction of the nursing home, including $8 million equity for construction and $2 million in start-up costs, she said.
The hospital didn't initiate Thursday's coalition meeting, Ms. Gleba said; if Mr. Stein attends, it will be only to provide an update.