Nursing home is rapidly emptying

The 109-bed facility saw an exodus as word of its closing spread; soon it’ll be down to six residents.

HAMILTON — The Butler County Care Facility closure was announced last month, and officials say the 109-bed nursing facility could conceivably be empty by the end of summer as families are finding other accommodations.

When the commissioners announced last month they would be getting out of the nursing home business they were down to 28 residents at the 109-bed facility. That number is expected to drop to six this week.

Care Facility Administrator Evelyn McGee told the Journal-News there are a couple people on waiting lists for other facilities right now, but she is “anticipating maybe by the end of July, August everyone should be placed elsewhere.” She said word got out about the potential closing earlier this year and families sprang into action.

“We had that first wave of people leaving, and they’ve been kind of leaving in waves,” McGee said. “And a lot of nursing homes they’ve been soliciting us because their census is low. They’ve been soliciting us for residents and our staff. It all depends on our residents and where they want to go, so, yes, it’s been a quick process.”

The union contract between the county and some of the workers was up this year. In an effort to keep as many staff on board as needed until it closes, the commissioners ratified a contract amendment with 14 union clinical and kitchen workers, bumping their hourly wages $5 and an additional $2 for the night shift.

“In an effort to retain clinical and dietary staff to address the skilled care and dietary needs of the residents as closure of the Care Facility is processing, the county identified it needed to