JEFFERSON —
Ashtabula County commissioners on Tuesday officially agreed to sell 147 long-term care nursing home beds to Otterbein Homes of Lebanon, Ohio.
Otterbein offered the highest bid for the surplus beds, $18,200, each. In three resolutions, passed unanimously, the county agreed to sell the right to operate the 147 beds. The total sale is $2,675,400.
The county is not selling actual beds, but rather the certificates of need for those beds. Ohio has not issued new certificates for years because of an overall surplus of nursing home beds in the state. Some counties, like Ashtabula, have more certificates than demand for those beds. A provision in the law allowed the county to offer its surplus beds in an auction-style sale.
The surplus number was determined after a review of current and projected needs at the Ashtabula County Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Commissioners said that the beds being sold will never be needed and that the county will still have about 170 beds licensed for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement.
The closing date of the purchase was not set by the resolutions. Commissioners hired a law firm that specializes in these types of transactions to handle the auction and the sale. Commissioner Dan Claypool said the board will have fees related to the transaction, but he could not say how much those costs will be.
The board has not planned any work sessions to discuss how to spend the money, but it must stay within the nursing home fund. The building needs a new roof, which would cost at least as much as the bed sale raised.
Claypool said the board has not decided if or how the money will be spent. No work sessions have been set for discussion of the topic, either.
In other action Tuesday, the board ordered publication and request for proposals for the prescription assistance for seniors. The service is provided under the Senior Services Levy. Bid opening is Aug. 15.
Click here to subscribe to The Star Beacon print edition.
Click here to subscribe to The Star Beacon replica edition.
