Bartlett Regional Hospital will take over Juneau’s nursing facility.
Because of the difficult market for nurses, Wildflower Court is now the second-largest care provider.
Since spring 2021, the long-term care facility has had difficulty hiring and retaining staff. Because of staff shortages, one wing was closed by the administration later that year. Wildflower Court has 61 beds licensed, but only 47 are available.
Robert Rang, interim administrator at Wildflower Court, stated that “Part of working with larger organizations is the depth and resources.”
He stated that Wildflower Court was the last independent nursing facility in the State. Other facilities are associated with larger health care providers or local governments.
Rand stated that “We face challenges in recruiting because we only have one HR department.” Rand stated that we don’t have the same buying power as them regarding equipment and supplies. All that stuff starts to take its toll.
Rang stated that the board was open to mergers from Bartlett Regional Hospital as well as Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (or SEARHC).
Bartlett spokesperson Erin Hardin stated that she believes the hospital was chosen because it is next to Wildflower Court. The hospital is not sure when the merger will be effective, she said.
She said, “The next step is to create a transition team so we have people from both organizations at our table to begin to map out what this plan and timeline will look.”
The hospital pledged to keep Wildflower Court employees, and stated that there would be no lapse of services for residents.
