October 25, 2022 – Washington Co., Wi – Families and residents at the Samaritan Home in West Bend, Wi are fearful they may lose valuable time with their loved ones should the County Board decide to close the home and move residents to Cedarburg.
Roger Moritz is a retired nurse whose wife has been a resident at the Samaritan Home for 11 years.
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According to the county website: “Since first opening its’ doors in 1968 as a stand-alone nursing home, the campus has grown to include a wide array of service offerings. The Samaritan Health Center has 131 skilled and Medicare certified nursing home beds including 119 private rooms and four specially equipped rooms for bariatric clients.
Samaritan Campus serves the needs of Washington County citizens as they age and have health, housing and rehabilitation needs.
OP ED | Washington County is negotiating human lives | By Debra Kison
Deb Anderson was on the initial Samaritan Task Force in 2019. She also worked for five years as the senior activity’s director at the Senior Center. She said, separating families is “death making.”
Click HERE to read: Community expresses grave concerns about future of the Samaritan Home
Calls and written requests have also been made to sit down for a one-on-one interview with the newly appointed administrator of the Samaritan Home, Matt Furno. So far, no luck so another request was made in writing Friday, October 21, 2022.
Past leadership in Washington County, including the namesake of the county’s Herbert J. Tennies Government Center, said the taxpayers have the right to the Samaritan Home.”
Former Washington County Board chairman Herb Tennies: The taxpayers deserve the right to have the Samaritan Home. If the county has to take care of the people who have paid taxes all their years and have had bad times, they should have a place to go and be taken care of and most taxpayers in the county would agree with that.
Former Washington County Supervisor (1992 – 2008) Maurice (Maury) Strupp said he has been visiting his uncle at the Samaritan Home. “I don’t think the building is that bad. If they do anything the county should be using sales tax money and not try to get money from the state.”
Former Washington County Clerk and County Board Supervisor (2008 – 2020) Marilyn Merten said the Samaritan Home is very important to Washington County. “We do a lot for everybody we better be thinking of doing something for our people who are needing therapy and those who cannot live alone anymore.”
Do you think the Samaritan Home is needed in Washington County?
From 1996 into 2020, Washington County collected 0.1% sales tax for the construction of Miller Park.
I do not believe this became a ballot issue.
I never attended a Brewers game in that span.
Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Washington, Waukesha and Racine counties collected $605 million from the sales tax.
What portion was Washington county, I don’t know, but it was substantial.
My opinion is that was money ill spent.
We face our own county needs.
Doesn’t seem right to me?
Since my Samaritan Home resident Grandmother passed away, I haven’t known what goes on there.
I hope we will see a positive resolution for the Washington County people involved.