A public hearing Feb. 28 may give Timber Ridge at Talus more skilled nursing beds at the Brianwood Health Center and at the same time retain the ability to take patients from outside the 184-unit independent living facility.
Timber Ridge is defined as a type “A” CCRC (continuing care retirement community). That means it can’t accept patients directly into skilled nursing after five years of opening. It faces a May deadline to change its arrangement.
A solution may come in the form of Horizon House, a CCRC facility in downtown Seattle that in 2005 closed, or banked, 56 skilled nursing beds. It still can bring them back into use, but must to so by the end of this year.
In doing the research on care facilities, Horizon House found there has been a decrease in nursing home beds over the past seven years, particularly in East King County.
At the same time, Grant Linacre, the administrator for Timber Ridge, says an aging population is expected to increase demand for such facilities.
Timber Ridge felt the need to continue operating as it has the past five years, Linacre said.
“In the past five years we feel we’ve been providing service at a very high level. We want to keep that nursing bed supply in circulation,” he said.
By making use of the Horizon House beds, Briarwood would be able to continue to accept new patients from outside Timber Ridge into the skilled nursing beds.
The project would be implemented in two phases; the first would be the transfer of the Horizon’s 36 existing beds to Briarwood, and the second phase would add 20 beds when Timber Ridge expands.
Timber Ridge, Linacre said, has always intended to grow. He added the hope is to break ground on Phase II this year. He said phase II will contain independent, assisted and skilled nursing, where the extra 20 beds will be housed. Linacre said Timber Ridge now has 184 independent living units.
Because Horizon House in the past has shown the need for the beds, it doesn’t need state approval for the Timber Ridge move. However, anyone can request a public hearing if beds are going to be unbanked and one was requested by Issaquah Nursing and Rehabilitation.
“As a long time member of the health care community I wanted to be sure I could ask questions along with the public,” said Issaquah Nursing and Rehabilitation Administrator Lisa Stubenrauch.
She added that when she found out about the proposal, it was such short notice that she decided a public hearing would be in order so everyone’s voice could be heard.
Liz Tidyman’s parents are residents of Timber Ridge
“This affects elderly people,” Tidyman said. “It seems to me that Timber Ridge wants that revenue — it’s a higher revenue stream to take people outside of the CCRC. I’m not saying I have concerns, but the fact is there will be a public hearing, and sometimes the public review and comment hearing can bring up issues.”
“We’re really proud of the care we give, we don’t see this as a big change in the way we do business,” Linacre said. “We just see this as way to continue business as we’ve been doing business.”
The hearing is at 1 p.m., Feb. 28, in the large meeting room in the King County Library at 10 West Sunset Way in Issaquah.
