Maple Lawn says it no longer needs bailout funds from pandemic woes

BRANCH COUNTY — The county-owned Maple Lawn Medical Care nursing facility will not need to borrow $250,000 this month after all to cover payroll and expenses.

Director Jayne Sabaitis told the county commission recently that a patient census and revenues are up in the past few months.

"We have about $373,000 in our cash account. So we're holding our own at this point in time," Sabaitis said.

Sabaitis came to the commission when state audits showed it overpaid Medicaid funds for 2019-20-21 to Maple Lawn in the amount of $874,976.96 and began to reduce current payments to recoup the overpayment.

Last Thursday, accountants Plant Moran presented treasurer Steve Rutz with amended 2021 tax returns that should pay federal COVID-19 Employee Retention Credits of $3.6 million to Maple Lawn.

Sabaitis told commissioners not to expect ERC funds soon.

"Plant Moran is telling us 12 months. I think that's minimum."

"I've heard even longer in some cases," Chairman Tim Stoll said.

"They're processing quarterly," Sabaitis said. "I know some facilities have gotten some quarterly payments a little bit sooner."

Maple Lawn did not apply for ERC funds, Sabaitis said because the facility did not learn until January that county-owned facilities qualified.

At the request of Sabaitis and the Maple Lawn board, county commissioners last month voted 3-2 to put on the November ballot a proposed .99 mill assessment on county property for five years to pay for the "operation, maintenance, and capital costs" for Maple Lawn.

The director promised the commission when she asked to borrow $1 million that "if we do not need the money, we will not take it. We have seen an increase in our census in the last couple of months."

Maple Lawn added staff recently that allowed more patients.

"We haven't been able to hire too many, but we have six potential CNAs with a class starting on Oct. 24 at Glen Oaks" Community College in Centreville. That is a three-week program.

"Unfortunately, (Kellogg Community College) had to cancel their class because of an instructor going on medical leave. That's kind of been our constraint right now getting staff," Sabaitis told commissioners.

More:Maple Lawn needs a county bail-out from pandemic financial crisis

Maple Lawn's director said patients from Branch County went to Oaklawn, Bronson or Borgess facilities.

"We're seeing those referrals come back to the county. I've really been pushing with ProMedica and their discharge director to make sure that county residents stay within the county."

Sabaitis said she and the director at the Laurels, the private nursing care center, are working to keep local rehabilitation patients and long-term care in Branch County.

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Another reason for the positive cash flow was that $291,659 withheld in July by the state was returned to Maple Lawn. The new agreement is the state will withhold the overpayments over six months beginning in January.

Although Maple Lawn did not receive ERC funding, it did receive COVID-19 funding from state and federal funds.The nursing home received $874,126 in COVID-19 relief funds in 2020-21 and then another $365,921 in American Recuse Plan funds in November 2021.

There was $646,501 in 2020 to reimburse for supplies, with $50,054 in 2020 for PPE equipment.

Grants for Direct Care Workers totaled $1.6 million in 2021 and $162,072 this year. There was also a $2.35-an-hour supplement pay for care workers.

— Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR.

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Maple Lawn nursing facility says it no longer needs bailout funds from pandemic woes