Nursing facility in Bellevue keeps improving
BY Dana DuGan
Pull up to Bell Mountain Village and Care Center in the northeast corner of Bellevue and you’ll think you’ve arrived at a progressive elementary school, minus the young children. The three buildings—Hemingway, Galena, Edelweiss—are separated into skilled-nursing and assisted-living facilities, and administration. It’s surrounded by pastureland, and has lovely natural landscape.
Run by Safe Haven, and formerly known as Blaine Manor, each of Bell Mountain’s buildings has a central kitchen and gathering area with high windows. Residential rooms are around the perimeter of the buildings. The facility also includes a therapy center with a warm treadmill-exercise pool. It’s a nice, tidy, pretty location but there have been issues in the move, and with new staff.
Occupied since March 2015, Bell Mountain had its annual audit for re-licensure in May.
“This was a stellar survey for us,” Rob DeLoach, Bell Mountain administrator, said. “We knew it when we wrote up our plan of correction. Our goal is to be a five-star facility within five years.”
All nursing homes are subject to state surveys for re-licensing. The facilities are tested on compliance with the rules and regulations according to the Department of Health and Welfare, and Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services.
Each “tagged” item was quickly corrected but the score affects its overall rating.
“The percentages get thrown off because we’re such a small facility,” Ursula Hulbert, registered health information technician, said. “The survey doesn’t take that into account.”
Three surveyors were at Bell Mountain from May 9 to May 13 following staff around.
“It’s challenging,” said Hulbert. “They dig as deep as they want to go. There’s not another nursing home like this in Idaho, with the three buildings, no shared rooms and the ability to group people together who are more appropriate together. We’re also learning as we go,” because it’s a new facility.
The surveyors told DeLoach that they liked the progressive facility.
“We have some organizational challenges on staffing but people feel better,” he said. “They’re not just stored in an institutional facility. It looks great and functions great. We still have to get used to it. The state of Idaho holds us to a standard where it’s more homelike.”
Bell Mountain did receive 11 federal tags to clean up some fairly benign infractions last year, DeLoach said.
“They’re considered no jeopardy and no harm, like a wheelchair parked in front of an electrical circuit. They’re easy to fix.”
One “severe” tag was given when they failed to include the phone number for Medicaid on their posters.
“We look at it as having another pair of eyes,” Hulbert said. “It’s different every year. They’ll find something. It’s a good learning experience.”
Parker felt that May’s survey highlighted the level of teamwork and care given the residents. Bell Mountain received five out of five stars for nursing.