Converting in Nebraska.Construction is under way at several skilled nursing facilities skilled nursing facility n. Abbr. SNF An establishment that houses chronically ill, usually elderly patients, and provides long-term nursing care, rehabilitation, and other services. in Nebraska, the first recipients of state grants to convert nursing home beds to assisted living as·sist·ed living n. A living arrangement in which people with special needs, especially older people with disabilities, reside in a facility that provides help with everyday tasks such as bathing, dressing, and taking medication. units. The $40 million grant program, approved last year by the legislature, is designed to lower Medicaid costs by encouraging 50 SNFs to de-license some nursing beds and replace them with assisted living units, says Frederick Wright Frederick William Wright (born 28 October 1933 in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia) was a Progressive Conservative party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was an investment counsellor and property manager by career. , section administrator for the state Department of Health and Human Services Noun 1. Department of Health and Human Services - the United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with health and welfare; created in 1979 Health and Human Services, HHS (HHS HHS Department of Health and Human Services. ). Participating facilities receive $52,000 per unit, or up to $1.1 million, for approved construction and renovation costs. A 20 percent match is required of 501(c)3 or for-profit nursing facilities that apply for grant monies. The HCFA-approved monies also cover conversions to adult day and respite care Respite Care Short-term or temporary care of a few hours or weeks of the sick or disabled to provide relief, or respite, to the regular caregiver, usually a family member. Notes: , but Wright says the main goal is to boost the state's count of assisted living units. "Anyone who didn't apply for the grant was foolish," says Pam Fielder, administrator of the 55-bed Park View Haven Nursing Home in Coleridge, which was among the first to receive grant money. "We have a waiting list for assisted living already, and we haven't even broken ground." Park View will drop its skilled bed count to 35 by adding 20 assisted living units. The HHS grant stipulates that assisted living units must measure at least 325 square feet, which is 55 square feet more than Nebraska currently requires for Medicare certification. Wright could not estimate what percentage of assisted living residents qualify for Medicaid coverage, but he noted that 50 to 55 percent of the state's nursing home residents receive Medicaid. Three years ago, Nebraska had more than 7 skilled beds per 1,000 people aged 65 and older, compared with a national average of 4.4. |
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