<p>PROSSER -- Prosser Memorial Hospital has decided to sell its nursing home to Eagle Healthcare, Inc. </p><p>The public hospital's board of directors voted 4-3 Thursday night to sell its aging, cramped nursing home to the private provider. The decision allows the hospital administrators to negotiate a contract with Eagle. </p><p>Thursday's board meeting, moved to a local church, drew about 50 people and numerous speakers, many of them employees arguing against the sale. </p><p>The 36-bed nursing home, which the hospital calls a transitional care facility, has no room to grow and needs extensive upgrades to comply with state codes that mandate a comfortable, home-like setting with private rooms. Prosser Memorial's facility has only double rooms. </p><p>A committee of community members, board members and physicians had recommended selling it to Eagle Healthcare, a Kenmore, Wash. company that owns nursing homes in Sunnyside, Grandview and Richland. </p><p>Meanwhile, many employees of the nursing home tried to convince hospital leaders to keep it, arguing that Prosser Memorial would provide better care than Eagle. </p><p>Many of the nursing home employees once worked for Eagle, said Elaine Hissam, a registered nurse. </p><p>One idea was to ask voters to approve a bond to build a new facility off-campus. </p><p>"There's a lot of avenues they just didn't look at," Hissam said. </p><p>Hissam and other employees presented a petition asking the hospital to retain ownership of the home. </p><p>Hospital leaders have plans for expanding the hospital's emergency, birth and surgical departments. </p><p>Prosser Memorial CEO Jim Tavary argued a bond measure for a new nursing home, even if approved, would chew up debt capacity needed for those other improvements. </p><p>The recommendation committee visited all the Eagle nursing homes in the area, he said, countering questions about quality of care. </p><p> "We're convinced that Eagle will provide excellent care," he said. </p><p> </p><p>* Ross Courtney can be reached at 930-8798 or rcourtney@yakimaherald.com. </p><p> </p>
PROSSER -- Prosser Memorial Hospital has decided to sell its nursing home to Eagle Healthcare, Inc. The public hospital's board of directors voted 4-3 Thursday night to sell its aging, cramped nursing home to the private provider. The decision allows the
City Desk, LOCAL
2008-05-01T20:42:50Z
by Ross Courtney
2008-05-03T04:53:10Z
false
2008-05-03T23:15:02Z
Prosser nursing home sold to Eagle Healthcare
3705
prosser-nursing-home-sold-to-eagle-healthcare
Web Story
Yakima Herald-Republic
Yakima Herald-Republic
7
A
2008-05-03T07:00:00Z
6166080
05/03/08 nursinghome
published
Web Daily
2009-03-20T02:26:07Z
1