YATES CENTER — If there were any qualms about support for rebuilding a local nursing home destroyed in a Friday fire, those were answered emphatically when more than 70 locals crammed into the fire station for a special Yates Center City Council meeting.
Yates Center Health and Rehab was destroyed after a nearby grass fire, fueled by wind gusts in excess of 50 mph, quickly consumed the facility.
All 38 residents were safely evacuated, and transported to other nursing homes in the area.
Monday’s meeting, as much as anything, served as a rallying cry for the community, and for a brainstorming session as to what a new facility — if it’s rebuilt — would entail.
Councilman Lyle Kee led the meeting, which also featured Woodson County commissioners, several nursing home administrators and staffers and a representative from Congressman Derek Schmidt’s office.
Also on hand was Matt Godinez of the Kansas Department of Commerce office, who spoke about potential grant opportunities to assist with the rebuild.
Kansas is in a unique position, Godinez explained, with additional monies available for facilities grants. Applications for this year’s grant will come under review beginning May 1.
“We have a lot of opportunities at the state, so I was looking to hopefully hear what the thoughts were and then we can get into some of the funding mechanisms to get it,” Godinez said. “I understand there’s insurance and things like that, but what do we do to change long-term if there’s a long-term option that’s better than what we previously had?”
There are multiple factors that will go into the decision-making process.
For one, Mission Health, which operated the nursing home, did not own the facility or surrounding land, so the first discussions must be with the property owners, who were not at the meeting, to gauge their interest in rebuilding.
Secondly, some grants will require a partnership with a local governing body — likely the city or county — Godinez noted.
He pointed to the state’s facilities grants, with recipients earning as much as $750,000.
Regardless of the property owner’s wishes, there is plenty of local support for Yates Center Health and Rehab to remain in place, Kee noted.
Kee, retired police chief, suggested finding a new location, noting the nursing home had been evacuated multiple times through the years because of dangers posed by prairie fires.
Others in the audience noted Yates Center Health and Rehab also provided outpatient services. Keeping those in place should remain a top priority.
