Stronger staffing, Medicare revenue and a “grow your own” workforce strategy are giving Stonewall Living Center a larger role in SMHD’s financial and patient-care plans.
Stonewall Memorial Hospital District Board of Directors reviewed how the Stonewall Living Center’s operational turnaround is continuing, with improved staffing, stronger Medicare revenue and a workforce-development effort aimed at training more nurses and certified nursing assistants locally.
The update came last month, where administrators described the nursing home as an increasingly important part of the district’s broader financial and care strategy.
Administrators said the district is increasingly coordinating care across the hospital, swing bed program and Stonewall Living Center, particularly for residents recovering from joint replacements and other major procedures. The approach allows patients to move through different levels of care within the district when clinically appropriate, while also helping SMHD capture available reimbursement.
That coordination has become more important as hospital volumes fluctuate and district leaders continue looking for ways to stabilize revenue beyond traditional inpatient admissions.
The Living Center reported approximately 75 Medicare days, producing more than $33,000 in additional revenue or gain, according to the meeting transcript. Administrators also said staffing improved substantially during July, although dietary remains an area where the facility continues recruiting.
“The nursing home makes money,” said Moorhead, with board members agreeing, saying how impressed they were with the turnaround.
The Living Center’s improvement has been a recurring point in recent SMHD financial discussions, with district officials previously pointing to the nursing home as one of the areas helping offset slower hospital volume. The August update continued that theme, showing the facility playing a larger role in both revenue and workforce planning, which officials said was much more than a short-term staffing effort.
This follows the district’s approval last year of a Tuition and Student Loan Repayment Program, which was designed to help recruit and retain healthcare workers by supporting employees pursuing needed certifications or degrees. The program allows SMHD to provide up to $437.50 per month, capped at $5,250 per year, toward tuition, education-related costs or student-loan repayment, while also tying some education assistance to continued service with the district.
The effort reflects what administrators described as a “grow your own” workforce approach, allowing employees to pursue education while maintaining their jobs and continuing to serve the facility.
Administrators said Stonewall Living Center currently has five employees in registered nurse education programs, with additional licensed vocational nurse development also underway. Officials said education and reimbursement efforts have also helped bring former employees back to the district.
“It was really key in having two of our rehires come back. They had heard we were doing the Med-Aid where we did reimbursement,” said SLC Administrator Cindy Rogers. “We have five that all passed. They did great.”
SMHD’s current workforce-development push follows earlier efforts to build a local CNA pipeline. The district previously operated an in-house CNA class, but that program was frozen after a state survey or regulatory issue, leaving administrators to look for broader ways to recruit, train and retain healthcare workers.
The August update suggested those efforts are beginning to show results, particularly through the second CNA class and ongoing nurse education programs.
Administrators also said the district is working to expand relationships with schools, which could help build a longer-term pipeline of local healthcare workers. That kind of development is especially important in rural healthcare, where recruiting licensed staff from outside the community can be difficult and expensive.
The workforce program also has a business purpose beyond filling vacancies. Officials said developing additional RN capacity could eventually allow Stonewall Living Center to participate in value-based purchasing arrangements that it currently cannot access because it has not met staffing criteria.
Administrators said they are looking toward potentially meeting those standards in 2027.
For SMHD directors, the positive report connected the Living Center’s operational improvement with a broader workforce strategy as personnel funding continues to present challenges. By strengthening the nursing home, training employees already connected to the facility and building more local healthcare capacity, district leaders said Stonewall Living Center could continue improving both patient care and financial performance as the district prepares for a new fiscal year with final budget decisions likely taking place next week.