by Doug Radunich
STAFF WRITER
Tooele County's only long-term care and rehabilitation facility has seen many changes since switching ownership five years ago.
Rocky Mountain Care in Tooele was once the Tooele Valley Nursing Home before it was purchased in 2003 by the Rocky Mountain Care group, a non-profit healthcare center chain with 18 locations in Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada and California. Since then, the facility has gone through a variety of updates and additions, several of which have taken place recently.
"In the past year-and-a-half, we received big-screen televisions with Direct TV for both the main area and special-care unit of the facility, new telephones with Tooele and Salt Lake lines for the patient rooms, and a brand-new updated dining room with new furniture in our special-care unit," said Rocky Mountain Care admissions coordinator Kriss Reed. "We also had electric doors installed in front for those who are handicapped, and we reinsulated the rooms so they would have better insulation on the inside. We also replaced the windows of our offices."
Reed said the skilled nursing facility does both physical rehabilitation and long-term care for patients, and that there are currently 72 beds available.
"Our rehab center helps patients who may have had a stroke, a heart attack, surgery or an injury become stronger and return to their previous lifestyle, and for long-term care we take care of people who can't live alone anymore, whether it be because of physical limitations, Alzheimer's diseases, or anything else that would keep them from being independent and living at home on their own," she said. "We currently have 58 residents here, but our average number is usually 64. We also have about three staff members per 20 patients, but that doesn't include the rehab department."
As the facility has grown, several other physical improvements have been made.
Reed also said the state-of-the-art large recreation room was built where the old ICU unit used to be. She said the room includes stoves, refrigerators and newly replaced windows, and that it is well-utilized by patients, staff members and the family members of residing patients.
"We use our recreation center for staff and resident parties, monthly potlucks, reunions, and birthday parties for residents and their families, and one of the main things we are trying to do right now is interact the patients with their families more," Reed said. "Some of our residents are not well enough to leave, so we try to get their families to come here and see them as much as possible. We also try to be more people-friendly and do a variety of family-oriented activities here, and one of them includes a big outside barbecue this summer."
In addition to the recreation room, Reed said that other new renovations in the past five years have included new air conditioning units, updated beds, new equipment for the therapy room, a transportation van, a hospice room, more offices, a conference room, and both a new paint job and updated look for the inside and outside of the building.
Reed also said staff turnover has decreased in the past five years, and community residents have noticed a change in the center's environment since the Rocky Mountain Care corporation took over.
"We've had former patients come back here and say that the facility has a whole new feel and atmosphere," she said.
Reed said Rocky Mountain Care was also found to have performed quite well on its state survey quality results, with a special nod given to its new recreation department. The survey is done once a year for health facilities by members of the state department of health care regulatory services.
"They stayed for four days and went over the whole building, and one of the surveyors told us we had one of the best recreation areas they had ever seen," Reed said. "We still don't have all of the results yet, but we found out that overall we did very well."
Rocky Mountain Care was first built as the Tooele Valley Nursing Home back in 1952. Once the old Tooele hospital moved out of the building right next to it, the nursing facility took that facility over as well. Because the building is now over 55 years old, Reed said there is talk of building a new one.
"The Rocky Mountain Care corporation said that in four or five years they may build a new facility for us, but no details are for certain just yet," she said. "We need something more modern and that will better accommodate the growth of our patients. Our number of patients continues to grow over the years, and we're proud to be the only skilled nursing facility in Tooele County."
dougrad@tooeletranscript.com