[Vision2020] You Kick Them Outta Town by Voting Yes on Feb. 6

Sat Feb 3 00:02:27 PST 2007

It is unfortunate that Mr. Gier and others want to kick the elderly and disabled out of town for good by stealing their home away for $1 when they are in financial trouble. 

  It is easier to give the problem to someone else then it is to make an attempt to save the home of the most vulnerable people. 

  I thought Mr. Gier was a caring liberal. Nobody seems to give a shit that several of this people forced to move out of town died. I see now that he just wants to do what benefits his friends even over that of providing the basic needs of the elderly and disabled. 

  If you vote yes to get rid of their home now, you kick the indigent disabled and elderly out of Moscow forever.

  The liberals in this town should be fighting for new sources of revenue to keep the place open, not kicking them out of town. 

  People in Moscow are going to have to drive 60 miles to see their loved ones now, how sad. And even more sad is the elderly that will be placed in an even further isolated location away from their lifelong family and friends.  

  What is the City, County, and State elected officials doing to fix this problem? It appears nothing. If they are waiting for a time to demonstrate leadership and that they are effective legislators and administrators, that time is NOW. 

  Giving away the home of 50 former residents of Moscow to another corporation is not a solution, it is coward's way of avoiding the problem. Giving it to Gritman is only to help ease the guilt of the lazy that don't want to fight for the elderly and disabled in our community. It allows their conscious to say, "Yes, we took advantage of the elderly, but it also helped someone with a bad kidney". 

  That might help the self centered sleep at night, but it doesn't me. I feel a great loss for all of Latah, and I still grieve for those individuals that died right after they were forced to leave LHS. The sadist thing of all is that most the people with the "Final Solution" of what to do with the LHS building and the fate of the current and future elderly in our community do not even know what they truly lost in that building because they never even went in the building. 

  Best,

  Donovan J Arnold
  CNA
  Former LHS Employee

nickgier at adelphia.net wrote:
  Greetings:

This was my radio commentary on KRFP (FM 92.5) this morning. I'm gratified to see all the support on this list for this wise move. My partner has worked very hard to get out the vote on this issue.

I'm grateful to B. J. Swanson and Greg Mann for looking at this piece before I posted it.

Nick Gier

This is Nick Gier, the Palouse Pundit, urging you to vote Yes on February 6, regarding the sale of Latah Health Services (LHS) to Gritman Medical Center.

When I did my review of 2006 on this program, I mentioned a number of issues on which our government was failing. On a positive note, I praised the grassroots civic activism that has always made this country great.

I've had first hand experience with the leaders of the Grassroots Group for Gritman, who have been organizing a Yes vote to sell LHS to Gritman. They embody every good quality that makes our democracy work. They are genuinely committed to informing county residents about the relevant issues and getting out the vote.

As the first nursing home in Idaho, LHS offered wonderful service to the people of Latah County for 50 years. It is the legacy of Grace Wicks, county commissioner and the Grand Lady of the Palouse for many years.

With its policy of accepting every applicant, something that more and more for-profit facilities cannot do, LHS started running a deficit. Over the years basic maintenance and upgrading of the facility were also neglected.

In 2005 the LHS Board hired Valley Vista to operate assisted living and skill nursing, but, because of mounting debt, Valley Vista closed the skill nursing section in September of last year. Next, Infinity Rehab pulled out of physical therapy and closed the therapy pool. 

The pool users quickly and effectively organized and insisted that the pool remain open. Greg Mann, chair of the LHS board, worked diligently to find someone to take over the pool. Gritman graciously stepped in, addressed the most pressing problems quickly, and significantly improved the operation of this essential county health service.

When the LHS board reluctantly decided to dissolve its corporation, the County Commissioners went to Gritman and asked them to take over the facility. Gritman responded that it would, but only if the reversionary clause was removed, something that requires a vote of the county's citizens.

Gritman has grand plans for a county wellness center on the property. Examples of additional programs include a cancer resource room, a kidney dialysis center, and a clinic for indigent health care. 

Gritman will also use the space to expand Hospice of the Palouse and extend its very popular Adult Day Health, a new concept for seniors and others who need help to stay at home rather than enter a nursing facility.

Gritman has also committed itself to bringing back assisted living if it can find a reliable operator to do so. Furthermore, it might be possible to offer the county office much needed space in the complex's west wing.

In a letter to the Daily News (Jan. 25), Greg Mann, in his argument for a Yes vote, made two important points. First, he reminds us that the property will not actually leave our hands, as it transfers from the county to a publicly owned nonprofit hospital with 100 years of service to the community.

Second, the people of the county will not lose 50 years of taxpayer investment, and, even though Gritman will pay only $1, it will have to put up over $1 million to upgrade the facility and then finance all the new services.

Some say that the property is worth a lot of money and that the county should sell it to the highest bidder. I believe that this is wrong and short-sighted. The value of a wellness center with no taxpayer obligations is far greater than a small one-time infusion into the county budget.

This election is both off year and off month, so I encourage you to vote Yes and vote early at the Auditor's Office in the County Courthouse.

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