 |
||||||||
| Kurt Harms, Right of Way Chief for the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT), selected Coates to handle the relocation due to his positive experience with Coates on other projects, such as the massive relocation of 97 businesses and 37 residential occupants for the Interstate 40 realignment in downtown Oklahoma City. The nursing care facility project, an expansion of the interchange of Interstates 235 and 44 in Oklahoma City, definitely required a seasoned team. “We selected Coates because of their experience and expertise,” said Harms. Into the fray marched the team of Coates Project Manager Karen Mundee and Relocation Specialist Margie Groves. Their hardworking and equally proficient assistants were Document Administrator/Relocation Agent Heather Polasek, Relocation Agents Dan Roberts and Karen Mustard and Document Specialist Kat Metheny. The task at hand involved the total relocation of Amberwood Nursing Center, a functioning and fully operational licensed nursing care facility in Oklahoma City. In retrospect, Karen Mundee's take on the complex project is deceptively simple: “Every day is different and every day you learn something new.” So, instead of being apprehensive, defensive or confrontational, the Coates team approached the project as an opportunity to learn, mediate, communicate and, most importantly, assist some people who really needed all the help they could get. It also gave the Coates team the opportunity to put into practice what they had learned at numerous IRWA courses in relocation and acquisition. The first major step was to research the local real estate market to determine if any nursing centers were for sale. An independent health care professional was hired to inspect and evaluate each available nursing center within a 25-mile radius. A comparable book was prepared, with more than 30 nursing homes described (photos, services offered, payment types accepted, etc.) Karen and Margie met with the owners of Amberwood to explain the appraisal, relocation and acquisition procedures and how the process would unfold. Right of way plans indicated that the nursing center would lose employee and visitors parking as well as the delivery area. Everyone agreed that resident care was the top priority. The business indicated that they intended to build a replacement facility in Oklahoma City since there were no available centers for sale. They were concerned about how much control they would have in order to assure that each resident was properly relocated. They wanted to retain those residents that could be relocated to one of their other facilities in Oklahoma. Of primary interest was identifying each resident and discerning exactly what his/her needs were, in order to know what type of replacement residence would be required. However, due to HIPAA regulations, information on the residents (name, physical and mental health condition, level of care required, payment source, responsible party) would not be available until the resident or responsible party had signed a release. This would take time, which of course was at a premium. Karen and Margie, in the meantime, contacted the Oklahoma State Health Department, Department of Human Services, Adult Protective Services, Medicare/Medicaid, Veterans Affairs and ancillary services to get the processes started. “We were frustrated about getting the information about residents. However, we were able to develop files with identifier keys assigned to each resident and began to gather general information until we could get the HIPAA releases signed,” explained Karen. Another concern was transportation. Regulations require the agent to offer transportation to the resident to facilitate their search for replacement residence. However, due to potential liability in transporting the infirm and elderly, Coates determined that a professional transportation company would be the best solution. This step necessitated more time, more paperwork, more orchestration, plus the continued veil of confidentiality had to be kept in place. However, there was no doubt that word of the move would eventually be leaked, which presented problems with staff retention and keeping Amberwood in business until relocations could be completed. To assist in this dilemma, ODOT developed a retention plan that paid bonuses to keep sufficient staff available. The continued care of the residents was paramount. Coates recommended, and ODOT concurred, that ODOT should pay protective rent to Amberwood to help with day-to-day expenses as the residents began to vacate the premises. The time arrived to formally announce the move. Coates and the agencies met to develop an agenda for a meeting to be attended by the residents, their families and others in a public forum. A key component of the plan was to send the vital HIPAA release with the meeting notice. Karen knew that Coates would still have to meet with each resident to collect information and to assist them in deciding where to go. A nursing center fair was held at Amberwood, attended by representatives of numerous local nursing centers so they could visit with the residents and their families in person, on-site, to discuss what they could offer. Also in attendance were agencies that were responsible for payment, such as Veterans Affairs and Medicare/Medicaid. Among the unique challenges: residents had very little personal property and could potentially move before the relocation team could meet with them. Numerous replacement facilities were competing to recruit the residents, which created apprehension among the residents. Some feared that if they didn’t move quickly, the better places would be taken. However, the relocations were completed in record time (60 days), well ahead of schedule. All residents found suitable replacement sites. There was no negative publicity or angry letters sent to the media or ODOT. An additional task completed by Coates was the production of a DVD that explained the project from start to finish, for ODOT to use for training purposes. Coates Agent Dan Roberts called upon talents from one of his previous careers to produce and narrate the video. “The relocation couldn't have gone any smoother for the residents,” said Kurt Harms. “It happened in record time, with no negative media inquiries. All this speaks volumes about the professionalism of Coates Field Service and how they approached this situation.” |
| SERVICES | CANADA| HOME | PROJECT NEWS (New) | JOBS | CLIENTS | LINKS | ©1999 Coates Field Service, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | |||||||
