Officials seek answers regarding Wirt County facility
Photo by Brett Dunlap Harold and Sharon Villers appeared before the Wirt County Commission this week asking it to request an audit of the money that has gone into the construction of the proposed nursing care facility in Wirt County and an update on the work at the facility located adjacent to the Coplin Clinic in Elizabeth.
Photo by Brett Dunlap The building being constructed next to the Coplin Clinic in Elizabeth was originally intended to be a nursing care facility for the area. However, options are being looked at in regard to the facility, including a nursing care facility or a medical complex that could bring medical services into the area that are not available. The Wirt County Commission was recently asked to request an audit of the work being done there since public money has gone into its creation and construction.
Photo by Brett Dunlap Harold and Sharon Villers appeared before the Wirt County Commission this week asking it to request an audit of the money that has gone into the construction of the proposed nursing care facility in Wirt County and an update on the work at the facility located adjacent to the Coplin Clinic in Elizabeth.
Photo by Brett Dunlap The building being constructed next to the Coplin Clinic in Elizabeth was originally intended to be a nursing care facility for the area. However, options are being looked at in regard to the facility, including a nursing care facility or a medical complex that could bring medical services into the area that are not available. The Wirt County Commission was recently asked to request an audit of the work being done there since public money has gone into its creation and construction.
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ELIZABETH -- One of the people who helped get the nursing care facility built in Wirt County is now looking into why it is not operating as a nursing care facility.
Harold Villers of the Wirt County Development Corporation appeared before the Wirt County Commission this past week to ask commissioners to submit the proper requests to get a full update on the facility built next to the Coplin Memorial Health Clinic in Elizabeth. Villers wants the commission to request an audit from the West Virginia Health Care Authority of the work being done on the facility and all related costs for the facility, including an accounting of state/federal money, any loans and private donations made to the clinic for the construction of the facility.
"This is the information that we the citizens need to know," he said.
Villers was an incorporator of the original clinic and a charter board member.
Back in April 2011 county and development officials began the process of getting a nursing home facility built in Wirt County, working with then Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, state Sen. Donna Boley, then Delegate Anna Border and other legislators to get a Certificate of Need. Once that was granted, bonds were issued and construction began on the facility adjacent to the clinic a number of years ago.
The project was originally described as a 36-bed facility that would create 30-50 jobs. It was intended to be able to take care of local residents and allow them to remain close to family in the area so the families would not have to travel great distances to be with their family members.
However to date, the facility is not being operated as a nursing care facility and was still being worked on as of last month, Villers said.
In July 2016, the clinic's leadership announced the clinic's board had moved away from the idea of developing a nursing care facility in favor of adding a broader range of health care services for Wirt County residents. Officials didn't think a nursing care facility could be sustained in the long-term. They said the decision to move away from such an investment was carefully researched. They were looking to bring a wider range of medical services to the area than what was already available in the area.
Villers has been trying to gather information from the clinic's board on what is being done at the site.
"I have requested information three times, through the Freedom of Information Act, about the situation at the clinic," he said. "I have been denied each time."
Commissioners Robert Lowe and Bob Gunnoe had previously served on the board for the Coplin Clinic at different times, but both men said they were bound by confidentiality agreements and could not talk about specific dealings of the board.
Neither is currently serving on the board. Lowe resigned last month as he saw it was a direct conflict of interest with his duties as a commissioner.
"The confidentiality demands of being a Coplin Health Systems member and executing the duties of county commission in a transparent manner creates an antagonistic situation that makes it impossible to serve," Lowe read from a resignation letter dated Dec. 12.
"You can't do both jobs and that is why I resigned," he said.
Gunnoe voiced similar concerns.
"There was a conflict of interests there," he said of not being able to keep his fellow commissioners or the people of Wirt County informed about what was happening as they were elected to do.
However, during his time there Lowe said he does not believe he saw any financial information regarding the nursing home facility.
Villers recently filed a lawsuit for $2 million against the Coplin Health Systems accusing Coplin of gross mismanagement in the construction of the facility; having each board member sign a confidentiality agreement where they could not discuss any issue outside the board meeting even though millions of dollars in federal and state money used; operating approximately 15 facilities, most of which are outside Wirt County and some outside of West Virginia and neglecting the needs of Wirt County; and banning Villers from attending any board meetings as well as deny him access to information he feels the public is entitled to over the spending of public funds that went into building the facility.
"This suit is to recover misspent money spent on the so-called Wirt County nursing home project and to provide an approved nursing home for the people of Wirt County," he said. "I think we can recover $2-3 million from someone.
"This is very important to the people of Wirt County. (The Wirt County Commission) has to take the lead."
If successful, a non-profit limited liability corporation will be applied for immediately and consist of five board members. Any money gained from the lawsuit would go towards completing an approved nursing home, Villers said.
A representative of the clinic said Wednesday they had no comment on the lawsuit. The individual also did not answer a question regarding the status of the work on the facility.
In a document provided by Villers from the West Virginia Health Care Authority, Coplin's Chief Financial Officer Julie Stanley sent a letter dated Dec. 18 to Barbara Skeen, West Virginia Health Care Authority director of Certificate of Need, with a progress report and request for a renewal for a Certificate of Need for the facility.
The document showed the clinic board was in negotiations with an interested party who wanted to purchase the facility and make it a nursing care facility. However, as of late 2018, the person was no longer interested in continuing, it stated.
The project has expenditures to date of $5,705,970.52 with the projected total cost of $6,156,910.85 for the new facility, the letter stated.
"This figure shows that the project is extremely above the estimated cost for a 36-bed nursing home," Villers said. "I have been informed that a 36-bed nursing home cannot be profitable with a turn-key amount above $3.5 million and this project is almost double that amount.
"No outside purchaser will show any interest due to this extreme cost."