Major Concerns With The New Our Island Home Proposal

To the editor: I agree with the FinCom and CapCom that the projected cost of approximately $130-140-million for the new Our Island Home is unaffordable and will put stress on the town's capital budget, operating budget, and borrowing ability going forward for the next 20-plus years.

When the issue was being debated prior to last year's Town Meeting I wrote a letter to the editor comparing the OIH project to the new nursing home that was then being developed on Martha's Vineyard by a nonprofit organization known as Navigator Homes. Well, the Navigator Homes project has been completed and the facility is being occupied by residents who were moved from an older facility located on the grounds of the Martha's Vineyard Hospital.

I believe the hospital donated the land for the new nursing home, but all other costs were paid for by the non-profit organization through a combination of charitable contributions and a Federal Department of Agriculture loan program. As I understand, repayment of the loan and any annual operating losses will be the responsibility of the non-profit operator, Navigator Homes. Neither Martha's Vineyard taxpayers nor the MV Hospital will be on the hook for these costs over the life of the facility.

Unfortunately, on Nantucket, very little effort has been made to fund the new OIH privately through charitable giving and low-interest loans. Yes, the Community Foundation and Friends of Our Island Home have made some fundraising efforts, but they have been very modest. Instead, Nantucket taxpayers have consistently been asked to foot the bill. And what an excessive bill it will be. Just as a comparison: The MV facility houses 48 patients and was constructed for $68 million,  or ~$1.4-million/bed. The new Our Island Home is designed to house 45 patients at a projected cost of ~$130-million, or ~$2.9-million/bed. TWICE THE COST.

I know construction costs are high on Nantucket, and the cost gets exacerbated when the town is paying the bill. But twice the cost of a comparable facility on Martha's Vineyard seems completely off the wall to me.

Compounding the very high cost is the very high likelihood that many long-time Nantucketers who expect that they or their parents will be able to spend their declining years in a new OIH facility may be disappointed.

Based on nationwide statistics, the typical stay in a long-term care facility is two to three years, with 10 percent of patients there for 5-plus years. So only a limited number of rooms will be available each year. At the same time, the number of seniors living year-round on the Island (potential users of OIH) has been growing substantially and is expected to continue to grow in the future. According to the Nantucket Center for Elder Affairs, there are now 4,000 seniors over age 60 living on-island year-round. So getting a room at OIH is not guaranteed. Nor can we be sure that a new OIH will have the staffing to properly serve the wide range of needs of future residents, forcing some to be cared for off-island.

Hopefully, Town Meeting will follow FinCom’s and CapCom's lead and reject the latest OIH proposal. Then we can focus on a more practical, privately funded solution that better serves Nantucket’s evolving long-term needs.

Gene Briskman