FORT FRANCES—An agreement to sell Rainycrest Home for the Aged to Riverside Health Care Facilities, Inc. is now complete, Riverside announced in a press release issued late Friday morning.
“Rainycrest is now officially part of the Riverside corporation,” Riverside CEO Wayne Woods said in the press release.
“I look forward to working with all staff and management to enhance the service delivery for our long-term care patients,” he added.
The ministry had taken control of the home back on March 18, 2005 and appointed Riverside as the interim administrator.
The deal, announced in September and initially slated to close on Oct. 18, makes Riverside permanently responsible for the management of Rainycrest.
The deal had the support of all 10 district municipalities when it was first announced.
The ministry pledged $1.35 million in capital grants and the addition of 21 new beds to Rainycrest if the deal was accepted.
The agreement calls for nine of the 10 municipalities to continue supporting Rainycrest with an annual funding contribution beginning with 2006 levels, and decreasing by 10 percent each year until it is phased out entirely by 2017.
Atikokan, instead, would put its annual Rainycrest contribution of $200,000 towards long-term care programs at the Atikokan General Hospital.
The deal states the Rainycrest building and property will be sold to Riverside for $1.
In a memo to district municipalities, R. Scott Rowand, chair of the amalgamation steering committee and a consultant hired by the ministry to help mediate discussions, noted Rainycrest requires extensive capital improvements.
“The facilities assessment conducted by a team of architects and engineers identified urgent health and safety issues requiring immediate resolution with cost estimates totalling close to $1.5 million,” Rowand wrote in September.
The assessment also identified “over $3 million of other needed improvements that must be addressed over time related to electrical, mechanical, structural, and fire safety concerns,” he added.
As of September, nearly 100 people were on the waiting list for admission to Rainycrest.
Riverside said staff and management across both organizations have been working very hard to address the compliance issues at Rainycrest.
They also have been busy working to merge human resources, accounting, and administration policies and procedures.
“It’s been a long two years, however I am extremely proud of the staff for their hard work, patience, and dedication during this time of transition,” noted Woods.
“Riverside’s board, management, and staff will continue to work hard to ensure Rainycrest is effectively managed with first-class facilities and state-of-the-art equipment,” he pledged.
(Fort Frances Daily Bulletin)
Fort Frances Times
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