Personal Care Homes At SCH Expanding Capacity

8/19/2009

The Clary and Wilkinson Care Centers at Stephens County Hospital will soon expand to a larger capacity.

State agencies have approved the hospital’s application to expand the maximum allowed capacity in the personal care homes from 82 to 92 residents.

Stephens County Hospital Personal Care Homes Director Hayley Knight said the centers only have 82 beds, but a trend in personal care home living is creating more space nevertheless.

“What we are seeing a lot of now are husbands and wives sharing a room and when they share a room, that actually leaves a bed in another room that we are unable to fill at the current time because we are licensed for 82 people,” said Knight. “The personal care homes actually have 82 physical rooms between the two facilities. However, when you put two people in a room; that leaves some extra space.”

As a result, the centers will mainly put people into rooms currently empty.

A waiting list exists and Knight said this will alleviate some of that, but not all of the demand at this point.

Knight said before the approval can become final, the hospital must wrap up some loose ends.

“What we are in the process of doing right now is getting all of our inspections completed,” he explained. “We have had all of those. We are just waiting on some reports and we will send all of those to the state’s Office of Regulatory Services and once they get that information, they will come do a final inspection to give us the go-ahead on the ten additional beds.”

Knight said they hope to have all of the loose ends wrapped up and the final approval granted by the beginning of November.