(Spirit Lake)– The timeframe Dickinson county is giving Season’s Center for Mental Health to vacate the county-owned Oak Haven Care Facility is being extended.
Meeting in special this (Friday) morning, the Dickinson county board of supervisors voted four-to-one to give the agency 30 days to vacate instead of the 10 originally granted earlier this week. That gives them until March 9th to get out of the building.
The supervisors originally gave Seasons Center 10 days to get out after an inspection ordered by the county turned up what it says is an extensive problem with mold and mildew in the building.
The motion to grant Season’s Center the additional time was made after Assistant County Attorney Lonnie Saunders told the supervisors the extension was agreeable to the Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals provided physicians of the patients in the facility signed off on forms stating the additional time in the facility would have no impact on their health. Saunders said he’s received such confirmation from Season’s Center officials that physicians have, indeed, signed off on the forms.
The vote to grant the additional time to vacate the building was four-to-one. Supervisor Wayne Northey cast the no vote, saying he’s questioning the credentials of a local company the supervisors hired to inspect the building. Northey added that even though physicians of patients at the facility have signed off on any concerns regarding their health for staying in the building the additional time, that he’s also worried about visitors and employees.
Kim Scorza, Executive Director of Seasons Center, told the supervisors OSHA inspectors will visit Oak Haven next to week to determine if the building is indeed a health hazard. If they determine it actually isn’t, Scorza told the supervisors “you acted prematurely in asking 26 residents to vacate their home.” Scorza says as of this (Friday) morning, new living arrangements have been found for 14 of the residents.
Following this (Friday) morning’s meeting, Scorza told KUOO news the additional time will help them in finding new arrangements for the other patients. But she says the impending closure of Oak Haven is weighing heavily on the 30 people who work there, as they will soon be without a job. She says officials with Iowa Workforce Development have been asked to come in to provide assistance to them.
