(Spirit Lake)– The Dickinson county board of supervisors Tuesday heard an update from the Pride Group, Incorporated, which is now operating the Oak Haven Care Facility under a short-term agreement with the county, which owns the facility.
Pride Group spokesman Mike Porter says they managed to keep the facility’s license and operations intact during last week’s transition. Porter added, however, there are still issues between the county and Season’s Center, which formerly leased the facility, over who owns what equipment and furnishings.
Porter told the supervisors that as of Tuesday, five patients were in Oak Haven. He says there’s a possibility that number could soon increase to 17. That drew concern from Assistant County Attorney Lonnie Saunders. He says the census should be kept low until it’s known for sure if there are safety issues with any mold and mildew that may be present in the building.
The county evicted Season’s Center from Oak Haven after a firm hired by the county turned up what it said were high levels of mold and mildew in the building. Saunders said if new tests recently done by Season’s Center show the same results, any residents in the building would have to move again.
Officials with Seasons Center told the supervisors Tuesday they’ve received test results, but weren’t immediately sharing them with the county. Saunders told the supervisors he would try to get a copy of the report from an attorney representing Seasons Center.
