Boone County Mapleview Rest Home

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Outcome

The Boone County Commissioner and Boone County Council held a joint meeting at 6:00 PM on October 2, 2014. Boone County Commissioners Marc Applegate, Don Lawson, and Jeff Wolfe voted unanimously to "find an end date" for Mapleview. Boone County Council members Steve Jacob, David Rodgers, Debby Shubert, Walter (Butch) Smith, Brent Wheat, and Marcia Wilhoite passed a resolution supporting the decision made by the Boone County Commissioners (Gene Thompson was absent).

Boone County Commissioners Marc Applegate, Don Lawson, and Jeff Wolfe voted unanimously at their October 6, 2014, meeting to establish January 1, 2015, as the target date for closing Mapleview. 

The Boone County “Capital Improvement Plan” calls for the county to spend $100,000 in 2019 to demolish the Mapleview building.

Background

The Mapleview Rest Home, which is located on Indianapolis Avenue near the 4-H Fairgrounds, is operated as part of the Boone County government. On September 16, 2014, County Commissioner Jeff Wolfe presided at a meeting in the County Annex Building that he organized for the families who have residents in Mapleview. Some of the topics covered in the meeting are summarized next.

(a) The following members of the Mapleview Board were in attendance: Bob Miller, Jennifer Hostetter, Jane Taylor, Tracey Hammel, Debby Shubert, Kathy Clawson. The Board has served as a support group since 2008. It was emphasized that the Board does not take votes and make decisions.

(b) The Boone County Council announced the intention in 2012 to close Mapleview within five years. It was stated there are now only seven county rest homes remaining open in Indiana.

(c) The current 11 residents don’t cover the Mapleview costs. Various funding options have been investigated. The lack of medically qualified staff makes Mapleview ineligible for some federal funding sources. Mapleview is not approved for Medicare and Medicaid residents. Rural Community Assistance Partnership funding has not been recently available, but it can now be obtained. The county is currently making budget decisions to try and keep expenditures within available revenues. Efforts were unsuccessful to find another county rest home to merge with Mapleview. Commissioner Wolfe indicated that funding for Mapleview is included in the county’s 2015 budget.

(d) It is a challenge for Mapleview to comply with HIPPA regulations.

(e) Commissioner Wolfe will recommend that Mapleview be closed during a joint meeting of the County Council and County Commissioners that will probably be held the week of September 29. Commissioner Wolfe indicates that the recommendation to close Mapleview is not an entirely financial decision. Commissioner Wolfe also states that he has a responsibility to all county taxpayers as well as to the Mapleview residents.

(f) Priorities if Mapleview is closed are that the residents stay in Boone County and stay together if possible.

(g) Representatives from Hickory Creek nursing home, located at 1585 Perry Worth Road near the 4-H Fairgrounds, were at the meeting. Hickory Creek would handle the paperwork necessary for all willing and qualified Mapleview residents to move to Hickory Creek. Hickory Creek may hire qualified Mapleview employees. Ten of the 11 Mapleview residents are considered suitable candidates to become Hickory Creek residents. Hickory Creek is not-for-profit, and now has 28 residents (with a capacity of 64 residents). Hickory Creek is being remodeled now. Hickory Creek has semi-private rooms, and all relocated Mapleview residents may not be in adjacent rooms. The cost of a Hickory Creek semi-private room is $155 a day. Hickory Creek is approved for Medicare and Medicaid residents. Most Hickory Creek residents are on Medicaid, meaning that they can only have $52 in monthly income and must have assets totaling less than $2,000. Medicaid approved residents do not pay drug costs. Hickory Creek residents must sign out if they leave the grounds.

(h) Family members were told that it is best for them to have legal guardianship so they can make decisions regarding the total care of their loved ones.

(i) Family members were encouraged to move their loved ones out of Mapleview within 30 days. No decision has been made on the Mapleview closing date, but Commissioner Wolfe indicated that it would be some time this year. No plans have been made regarding the Mapleview building.

Listed next are the Watchdog Lebanon conclusions regarding the recommended closure of the Mapleview Rest Home.

(1) Commissioner Wolfe did not provide any cost data regarding Mapleview. Cost data compiled by Watchdog Lebanon is listed next.

The Watchdog Lebanon cost data does not include the cost of employee benefits. Of the four full-time current employees (other than the director), no health benefits are received by one employee, individual health benefits are received by two employees, and family health benefits are received by one employee. Employee-only health insurance costs the county about $9,765 and family health insurance costs about $27,480. Therefore, using the online costs tabulation together with the annual health insurance benefits cost, Mapleview revenue shortfalls are now about $112,000 – the county will save about $112,000 a year if Mapleview is closed.

(2) The county has been spending more than it receives in revenues. The year-end cash reserves in the County General Fund, CCD Fund, Food & Beverage Tax Fund, Rainy Day Fund, Economic Development Fund, and CCD Investment Fund have steadily declined from a total of $15.2 million in 2012, to $10.8 million in 2013, and down to an estimated $6.8 million at the end of this year. Although efforts are being made to both trim the county’s budget next year and also provide employee raises, it has not been determined if the county’s 2015 budgeted expenditures will be less than budgeted revenues without tax increase. If the $112,000 savings from closing Mapleview helps generate a 2015 balanced county budget, it is hoped there will be no county tax increases.

(3) The Indiana trend is clearly towards closing county rest homes and having the private sector provide the living arrangements for vulnerable community members. A May 2013 Ball State master’s thesis provides some helpful up-to-date information about county homes in Indiana. For Mapleview to be closed on such short notice, family members must determine if the county has an excellent plan in place for the care of Mapleview residents. In particular, family members need to visit Hickory Creek and determine if the facility and caregivers are suitable. Hopefully, Hickory Creek is not far short of its resident capacity because of poor service, inadequate facilities, or business weakness.

Commissioner Wolfe provided the following clarification in a September 17, 2014, E-mail regarding the time frame for Mapleview residents to transfer to another facility: I indicated that Hickory Creek was prepared to take residents within the next 30 days. I don't think I said that the residents needed to be moved within 30 days. We will work with the families to make this the best transition we can and may possibly extend the time frame somewhat for those making other arrangements than the one discussed. The recommendation I will make will include making every effort to make this transition as comfortable as possible for the residents.

If the family members of Mapleview residents are not satisfied with the arrangements made by Commissioner Wolfe to close Mapleview on short notice, then they need to get concerned members of the community to express dissatisfaction to the seven Boone County Council members and the other two County Commissioners.

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This page was last updated on 08/23/16 .