By Mary Drier
Staff Writer
CARO — Ground was broken Monday to start the construction of Tuscola County Medical Care Community’s new personal-centered “small house” facilities.
Small house is a “term” rather than a description because each of the two houses will be approximately 9,200-square feet, have 10 private rooms with their own bath as well as a common area, full kitchen, laundry facilities and an outdoor garden.
“I had dreamed of this kind of care for seven to eight years and prayed for two years for land to do it,” said MCC Director Margot Roedel. “Then, I got a phone call from Davenport University saying they wanted to sell.”
The houses will be built on part of the former Davenport University’s 16 acres of land on Cleaver Road east of Caro that the MCC purchased in August, 2012. The college facility itself is used as the MCC’s business annex.
At the groundbreaking, concept drawings for the elder-care homes showed the homes’ design. One facility will be called the Baldwin Household and the other Cortland Household with Roedel leaving back to them.
Building the two houses is a $7 million project. The MCC has about $3 million on hand to offset the cost, and $4.6 million in revenue bonds will be sold to pay the rest.
“We had part of the money for this and are selling bonds for the rest so no millage money is needed for this,” explained Roedel.
During the event, it was noted MCC is in the top 3 – 5 percent of the best medical-care facilities in the state… because of Roedel and the facility’s staff.
“They (medical care) wanted to be a model of quality care in the state, and I’d say they did that,” said county Commissioner Craig Kirkpatrick who presented a county resolution to Roedel honoring the facility’s accomplishments.
Small house facilities are part of the cultural change happening in skill nursing centers. The houses look like a large home but they have equipment and features necessary to provide round-the-clock, skilled-nursing care.
The houses will still be “skilled-nursing beds” centers not assisted living or independent-care facility. The life of a resident in a small house center is just about like living at home, but with professional care available 24/7 by Certified Nursing Assistants who receive additional training and education to be “universal employees” in that they will not only care for the residents but will also do all of the normal duties of a household such as cooking, laundry and housekeeping.
When the homes are completed, 18 semi-private rooms at the main care facility will be converted to 16 private rooms.
Those projects will allow for an even more patient and family friendly atmosphere which increases the quality of life and raise the standard of care.
“We are assembled to celebrate the historic ground breaking of the new ‘state-of-the art’ Medical Care Facility small house building to serve the needs of area. The determination and skill of Department of Human Services Board members, current Commissioners, Director Margot Roedel and former Commissioners (Jerry) Peterson and (Tom) Kern changed a vision into reality with the construction of this contemporary facility,” said Kirkpatrick reading from the county resolution.
“There is tremendous value in having this practical small house facility because it provides for the preferred life style of many citizens by offering both group kitchen and living room accommodations for social activities and also separate bedrooms for resident privacy.”
The resolution went on to honor the effective financial planning by the Department of Human Services Board and management team at the Medical Care Facility the construction of the facility is occurring without added taxes or other cost to the taxpayers of the county.
“We are proud to congratulate the Department of Human Services Board and Medical Care Facility staff for the foresight and leadership to implement this modern-day facility that will improve the quality of life for residents. On behalf of the entire Board of Commissioners and citizens of Tuscola County we thank you for a job well done!” stated the resolution.
As Kirkpatrick read the resolution, he talked about his experience of having an elderly family member go to a care facility.
“When you ask people my age what is the most difficult time, it is when a loved one can no longer live independently. There was a lot of tears and sleepless nights. It was a difficult decision. I was raised to honor my father and mother…” said Kirkpatrick noting when the small houses are done they will be and feel like living in a home.
Others involved in the project include architect Goudreau and Associates Inc., and contractor RCL Construction.
Mary Drier is a staff writer for the Tuscola County Advertiser. She can be reached at drier@tcadvertiser.com.