The Hillsdale County Medical Care Facility announced it will “lose money again this year” at Tuesday’s Hillsdale County Commissioner’s meeting as part of a series of annual reports given by community administrators regarding the county’s health.
Denise Baker, Hillsdale County Medical Care Facility administrator, updated the board on the facility’s situation. She said the facility only has one empty bed, an improvement from having 10 to 12 empty ones a few weeks ago.
Although she noted that exact numbers of the facility’s financial situation have not yet been finalized, she admitted it will “lose money again this year.”
Other reports included more positive updates.
Matthew Shane, District 12 coordinator for Michigan State University Extension, said the MSU Extension provided services in various enterprises, including anger management classes and a thriving 4-H program in the past year.
The county’s 4-H program is “doing really well,” Shane said. “2,231 individuals served — that’s 24 percent of youth population in Hillsdale — which is way lower in large, urban counties.”
Bill Word, county drain commissioner, and Terry Vear, executive director of Perennial Park Senior Center, also gave annual reports. According to Vear, the center provided excellent service to seniors in the county in 2014.
“The senior center has in some way, shape, or form impacted one in three individuals over the age of 60 in Hillsdale County, give or take a couple hundred,” Vear said. “Our biggest use of funds is home care assistance and meals on wheels.”
Motions passed included the appointment of Commissioner Bruce Caswell to the LifeWays Community Mental Health Board of Directors. LifeWays is a mental health facility based in Jackson, Michigan, with an office in Hillsdale.
“Caswell has a lot of background in mental health,” Commissioner Ruth Brown said. “That’s why they want to get him on that board.”
The board allows Hillsdale County two commissioner spots and two positions for secondary consumers. Commissioner John Burtka currently holds the other commissioner spot on the board.
“John [Burtka] and I felt it would be very beneficial if Caswell was also on the board,” Commissioner and Chairman Mark Wiley said at the meeting Tuesday. “There’s the potential for us to possibly lose a commissioner seat if we don’t fill it. We want both commissioner seats.”
Other motions passed by the board included extending the Hillsdale County Medical Examiner’s appointment for another year and appointing Shelby Burlew to the Hillsdale County Planning Commission.
The county commissioners’ next board meeting is on Feb. 10, at which the County Department Heads will meet before the regular commissioners’ meeting.
