Known at “The Mount,” Providence Mount St. Vincent finalized a significant expansion of their transitional care unit from 20 to just under 60 beds during the week of April 23, according to Mount spokeswoman Molly Swain.

The Mount provides assisted living, long term and end of life care in addition to transitional care services. Transitional care is described by Swain as “a place for people to come after a hospitalization to receive the skilled nursing and therapies needed to return home with an average stay of about 18 days.” Many Mount services are focused on the elderly, but Swain said transitional care rehabilitation is for people of any age.

“Our goal for our patients who come for a rehabilitation stay at Providence Mount St. Vincent is to not only help them regain their confidence and abilities to return home, but in many cases to help them achieve a level of health, strength, mobility, balance and independence they haven’t felt in years, “ Tom Mitchell, Mount administrator said.

Transitional care was shifted to the fifth floor to make room for the expansion, and the long term residents previously on that floor were relocated to other areas of the building. According to a fact sheet on the expansion, “Many staff members will be changing jobs or changing neighborhoods (Mount term for different units). We know this will be stressful, but we expect very few, if any, jobs to be eliminated …”

The move is partially a result of changes in health care.

With the State of Washington’s decreasing support for nursing care, and its high cost, Swain wrote, “The State is looking for less expensive ways of supporting older adults. If we can help people rehab and return to their own homes, we can meet both the individual’s preference and the State’s need to contain costs.”

“Financials are a part of that story,” as well, she wrote. “As the mix of residents who are supported by Medicaid vs. Medicare vs. private pay has changed over time, our revenue has declined. Increasing the transitional care capacity and thereby increasing Medicare reimbursement will have a favorable impact on overall financials.”

For more information, go to
www.providence.org/themount