Portage County officials are considering designating $10 million toward a public-private partnership with the Sisters of St. Joseph that would in part construct a new Health Care Center and retain skilled nursing home beds for county residents.

The county’s Health Care Center Committee Wednesday, June 29, unanimously approved recommending Portage County Executive Patty Dreier include the $10 million contribution in the county’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

Dreier and Finance Director Jennifer Jossie presented CIP projects to the Capital Improvements/Economic Development Committee Thursday, June 30. After project summaries, the committee adjourned until Wednesday, July 13, when it will review and discuss all of the projects in the hopes of deciding which will be included in the 2017-22 plan to go to the County Board for approval.

If needed, the committee will meet again Monday, Aug. 1. The CIP projects are expected to be on the County Board’s Tuesday, Aug. 16, agenda for discussion and possible approval.

The public-private venture would be with the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Third Order of St. Francis (SSJ-TOSF), Milwaukee Catholic Home (MCH) of Milwaukee and Presbyterian Home & Services (PHS) of St. Paul, Minn. The new nonprofit senior care campus would be called Joseph’s Pine Grove, Inc. and would be located on the 40 acres owned by the Sisters on Maria Drive.

Portage County in April 2014 approved working with the Sisters to explore a continuum of care due to continued rising costs to operate the county-owned Health Care Center and increasing fiscal constraints on county government.

“We learned (county leaders) are deeply committed people and that’s important to us,” Sister Michelle Wronkowski said. “Out of the relationship building and process it became clear to us there’s a need for a nonprofit community care facility … it is so important that this nonprofit cares for the good of all people.

“We believe in this county, this is our home, this is where we’ve established our holy place,” she said. “These nonprofits demonstrate a quality of care that we would place our Sisters in … We believe the county and us are mission matched already … (this partnership is) mission matched for the common good.”

Both nonprofits are faith-based organizations governed by a Board of Directors, which is how the county and the Sisters can retain involvement and input into the senior care campus operations.

“This new piece would be nonprofit, and the structure of the nonprofit is it has a board, and the operators work for the board,” said Sister Judy Jewison. “The Sisters are from town, the Sisters are staying here, and there’s 40 of them and they have a lot of eyes.

“We want to bring the quality that stays in the community,” she said.

Daniel Lindh, president and chief executive officer for PHS, said board members would be determined in future discussions, but likely would include Sisters, county representatives and community members. PHS and MCH are willing to work with the county and the Sisters to make sure the partnership comes together correctly, he said.

“This community has a lot of attributes to set itself up for the future,” Lindh said. “We think there’s a really neat opportunity here … to build a really robust model. All the elements are here for that to happen in a great way.”

The partnership proposal includes constructing a $45 million to $50 million campus that includes senior living apartments, assisted living units, memory care assisted living units and up to 70 beds for the new health care center (HCC occupancy has been holding steady at 71).

The county’s $10 million contribution would go toward the estimated $15 million cost for constructing the new Health Care Center on campus.

The details still need to be worked out, Lindh said, but the goal is to move the HCC residents along with the employees seamlessly into the new campus. Lindh said it would be the intent that current vendors with the HCC – such as Heartland Hospice and Ministry Home Care Hospice – would continue with the new campus as well.

“It’s all about serving the community and serving it well,” he said.

The senior living apartment units also would help fund the HCC and assisted living units, and Lindh said an endowment fund would help offset costs for those who could not afford to pay or whose Medicare/Medicaid did not completed cover the costs.

Fundraising efforts would be in the local area as well as PHS and MCH areas to establish the $2 million fund. About $100,000 of that would annually go toward supporting those in financial need, he said.

All of the HCC rooms would be private with their own bathrooms and other amenities if decided upon, he said. Again, those types of details would come out in future discussions.

“In terms of the future and in terms of what this could provide, I think this would be $10 million well spent,” County Board Chair Phil Idsvoog said. “What this could provide is more than we ever could.”

Milwaukee Catholic Home offers a full continuum of care for older adults, including independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care and rehabilitation services, as well as many active partnerships with parishes, schools and community organizations. With a partnership with the Franciscan Friars of the Assumption BVM Province, MCH recently launched a five-acre community garden and farm-to-table program. The project provides fresh, local produce to MCH residents and creates a place for both residents and community to enjoy.

PHS serves more than 25,000 older adults through 42 PHS-affiliated senior living communities in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. It also provides Home Care in Waukesha. PHS goals are to continue to grow with choices and opportunities for older adults by “enriching the lives and touching the hearts of older adults.”