Arkansas VA working to fill new care site; 26 empty beds in vets home blamed for monthly deficit

FILE —  Legislators tour the Arkansas State Veterans Home in North Little Rock on Oct. 25, 2017, with the facility's administrator, Lindsey Clyburn (far left), following a committee meeting.
FILE — Legislators tour the Arkansas State Veterans Home in North Little Rock on Oct. 25, 2017, with the facility's administrator, Lindsey Clyburn (far left), following a committee meeting.

Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs officials hope to ramp up efforts to fill the remaining beds at the state's new facility for elderly and disabled veterans in central Arkansas.

The Arkansas State Veterans Home at North Little Rock, which opened in January 2017, is operating at a monthly deficit of $50,000 because two of its cottages remain empty.

A variety of hurdles -- from regulatory delays to maintenance issues and staff turnover -- forced the agency to veer from its original timeline.

The newly built, state-of-the-art facility is unique, employing a "small-home design" that's less institutional than a traditional nursing home. The approach, while praised effusively by residents and their families, has significant upfront costs, said Nate Todd, director of the state Veterans Affairs Department.

"This new concept has blossomed, but it has not been easy," Todd said Tuesday.

Todd told the Arkansas Veterans Commission on Tuesday that the agency hopes to begin admitting two veterans each week to the facility now that its annual inspection was completed last week. He plans for the home to reach capacity and become financially solvent in 2019.

To make ends meet, the state VA has relied on about $1.4 million in state rainy-day funds. Agency officials expect to recover some of those deficits after several residents complete the Medicaid application process.

Built from the ground up on the land that formerly comprised Emerald Park Golf Course in North Little Rock, the new veterans home is one of the first of its kind in the U.S. The 96-bed facility consists of eight cottages spread over 31 acres. It resembles a residential neighborhood, and all aspects of the facility -- from the call lights to the kitchen -- are designed to feel homelike.

The home also utilizes a different staffing model from traditional long-term care facilities. Instead of typical nursing assistants, it has "universal workers," who provide direct care as well as cook, clean, launder and do other household chores.

The home is open to veterans, their spouses and dependents. It accepts Medicaid recipients, those with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs benefits and veterans paying out of pocket.

The state also runs a veterans home in Fayetteville. Gov. Asa Hutchinson, speaking to the Veterans Commission on Tuesday, said he recently toured the Fayetteville facility, which he said needed "some work done."

As of Tuesday, 70 beds were filled at the North Little Rock veterans home. J.R. Davis, a spokesman for Hutchinson, said new patients have been admitted slowly due to the newness of the concept.

"Now that it's fully operational, the governor does expect [the Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs] to up that pace," Davis said.

As of Tuesday, Todd said the agency was processing six new applicants to prepare for a move into the home, but the home needs more veterans to apply.

Over the past year, it has struggled to fill out its staff, hampered by the same nursing shortage that has affected other health care providers in central Arkansas. In April, though, the agency implemented a more competitive compensation and benefits package for nurses and nursing aides, which Todd said has helped tremendously.

The state VA plans to work hard to find eligible veterans to move into the facility and shrink the deficit, Todd said, but he stressed the importance of maintaining focus on those already in state care.

"Delivering high-quality care to those veterans and residents, to me right now, that's more important than breaking even," he said.

Metro on 07/18/2018

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