Hospice of Sweetwater County may have a building to move into for its long-desired care facility, but questions about seismic stability may postpone its installation.
Sweetwater County plans to provide $2 million in seed money and give hospice space at the former county hospital building on C Street in Rock Springs. However, Jelaca and Hospice Board of Directors Chairman John Kennedy said information about the building’s earthquake stability have prevented a cost estimate to install their facility from being generated. Jelaca said hospice may need to pursue a waver from the Wyoming Department of Health if the building is found to be unsafe to house hospice patients. Commissioners Wally Johnson and Reid West disagreed with concerns about the building’s safety.
“It’s only stood nearly 100 years, and now someone’s saying it might fail,” Johnson asked. “If I were there in the last six months of my life, an earthquake would be the least of my worries.”
County facilities manager Chuck Radosavich said the concerns lie with the newer additions to the building, as well as how the bricks are joined to the building. West believes the building is in great shape, saying it has had energy-efficient windows installed and will have a new roof placed in the coming year.
Johnson said the county plans to more forward with placing a hospice care facility in the building because, in the commissioners’ minds, the facility is a perfect fit for the building.
Kennedy said hospice has received a lot of support for creating a facility at the C Street building, saying many people are attracted to the grounds around the building. He said the hospice board doesn’t expect renovations to the building to be very costly, compared with buying land and constructing a new building.
Jelaca said plans and a capital fundraising campaign for a hospice care facility are in their early stages.
Reader Comments(0)