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Former MOGOP chair joins Health Facilities Review Committee; 5 new CON applications approved

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Health Facilities Review Committee welcomed a former head of the state Republican party as a new board member for their first meeting of 2019.

The Monday meeting was the first with David Cole on the board that administers the Certificate of Need statute. Appointed by Gov. Mike Parson during the interim to fill a vacant seat, Cole can serve until approved by the state Senate — whom has 30 days to consider interim appointees once they convene.

The former-chairman of the Missouri Republican Party is a practicing lawyer in Cassville, Missouri. Cole is a currently Chairman of the South Barry County Hospital District Board of Directors and the Chairman of the Mercy Health System Western Region Board of Directors. He has previously served on the Coordinating Board of Higher Education for the State of Missouri, the Crowder College Foundation Board of Directors, the Cassville R-IV Board of Education, and is a past president of the Cassville Area Chamber of Commerce.

The committee, which administers the Certificates of Need by statute, met on January 7, 2019, for a full meeting where they worked through six new business items and four old business items.

The Delta South Nursing and Rehabilitation facility in Sikeston, Missouri, was denied its application to add nearly two dozen skilled nursing beds. The facility, which opened in August 2017, has made the request for additional SNF beds twice previously.

Delta South was looking to convert 15 assisted living rooms — and forfeit the licenses on those beds — and existings space within the facility to create 22 SNF private rooms. On January 8, 2018, a CON application by the applicant to add 25 SNF beds to the facility was approved for 3 SNF beds. These beds have been licensed. On May 7, 2018, a CON application to add 15 SNF beds to the facility was denied.

The unmet need formula used by the committee currently shows a 497-SNF bed surplus. Other facilities in a 15-mile radius have between a 50 percent and 62 percent occupancy rate. Once Delta South has been up and running for 18 months, they will have the option of purchasing SNF bed licenses from other facilities.

“Mr. Cole appears to be running an excellent facility, and I am grateful for service he is providing at Delta South,” Rep. Jack Bondon, chair of the committee, told the Missouri Times. “There remains a remedy by purchasing beds from another operator and I wish him the best.”

The committee approved the five other new applications.

The Truman Medical Center-Health Sciences District in Kansas City was approved to acquire a new robotic surgery system for $2,240,000.

Towne Square Care of Gladstone’s application to establish a 28-bed SNF and a 43-bed ALF facility in Clay County for $7,439,074 was approved.

According to the application, the plan is to renovate the 45,019 square-foot building that was formerly a licensed long-term care facility known as Woodbine Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. The applicant expects the renovation to start in January of 2019 and the project to be completed in June of 2019.

The unmet need formula used by the committee shows a 812-SNF bed need and a 424-ALF bed surplus.

Kindred Hospital Northland in Clay county was approved to add 15 long-term care hospital beds for $527,981 and to acquire a computed tomography scanner for $304,000.

The hospital already has 35 LTCH beds and plans to add an addition 15 beds. The unmet need formula shows an 23-bed need in the area. Upon project completion and licensure, there would be 34 licensed beds in private rooms and 16 licensed beds in semi-private rooms, for a total of 50 licensed LTCH beds.

Washington Assisted Living in Franklin County was approved to establish a 65-ALF bed facility for $8,000,000. The unmet need formula for the area shows a 28-bed surplus.

The plan is to construct a one-story, 38,000 square-foot building. There would be a combination of studio, one, and two bedroom units. The schematics show that 39 units would be licensed for single occupancy and 13 units would be licensed for double occupancy for a total of 52 units and 65 licensed beds.

For old business, the committee approved two extensions for Sunterra Springs of O’Fallon, two extensions and a change in ownership for Community Care of Union, South County Senior Care’s voluntary forfeiture on CON to establish 80-ALF bed facility.

Vintage Park Villas’ application for extension was denied. No representative from the facility was present at the meeting.

The next full meeting is scheduled for March 4, 2019.