Hillcrest plays hardball

Submitted by R. Neal on Mon, 2008/11/24 - 12:01pm.

Hillcrest says if the sale is put out to bid and they aren't the successful bidder they will take their marbles and go home, the marbles being the Certificate of Need that they own.

I guess I still don't understand the origins of this. If they can't make money with basically free rent, why do they want to pay more? We've heard they can leverage their equity to borrow more money to expand operations or something. But only if the county gives them a sweet enough deal that there is a margin to leverage? Where did this originate and why?

Either way, it's turned ugly and ridiculous. Larry Van Guilder:

There is something especially contemptible about the willingness of Hillcrest and its private and government allies to exploit some of the most helpless residents of Knox County to make their case. Furthermore, there is a sadistic irony at work in watching Ragsdale argue that the aim of this proposal is to ensure the welfare of Knox County seniors, while at the same time the “Hillcrest machine” terrifies those same seniors with the prospect of being evicted from their nursing home beds.



In my opinion, anything Ragsdale has negotiated needs a review

perhaps a fresh set of eyes, to ensure the county isn't being hornswallered yet again. Anybody that would allow their administration to be run as his has would not be in a position to negotiate anything on behalf of the county.

Alan Summers's picture
dont think so

I believe we have proven that statement to not be as true as they would want you to believe on the KNS article.

Don't fall for the smoke and mirros that the administration is putting out there. Same ones they used to push the wheel tax, cave in to Natural Resources Recovery, and now Hillcrest.
Of course, all three of those have one thing in common - Ragsdoll!

Alan Summers's picture
emotional blackmail?

On the WBIR site it lists the proposed public meetings:

December 9, 7-9 pm West Site
December 11, 2-4 pm South Site
December 13, 10-12 pm North Site

This is such a bad idea to have these meetings at each Hillcrest site.
Does each building have an auditorium that everyone can sit down in to discuss things after the parade, I mean tour?
Or, are questions not going to be taken at these meetings?

I think that there is more to this whole deal than we know. Or that the commissioners even know.

There are a couple of questions I would like our commissioners to find the answers to…

When does Mrs. Pointer’s contract expire? (wouldn’t it be something if it expired in 2010)

Is the Hillcrest Board a compensated position, or volunteer?

I would really hate to find out that our elderly were being used in an emotional blackmail ploy for an after politics gain for someone.

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