DEL NORTE— River Valley Inn opened its doors officially to guests in early August after having to wait for state approval during most of the month of July. The new nursing home is now fully functional and has filled its rooms with guests and continues to have a waiting list of guests for the future.
“We are set up and taking patients and everything is going great. We couldn’t be happier with how things have turned out and the amount of support we have received from the community of Del Norte has been outstanding,” said President Joyce Humiston. She continued, saying the state worked with River Valley Inn to expedite the approval and inspection process and that she and the staff are very grateful for their consideration. “New facilities are not typically a priority for the state to approve and after sending a letter requesting that we be prioritized, they responded immediately,” stated Humiston.
In Dec. 2015, the town board approved the new nursing home, not only helping the senior community throughout the Valley by offering an additional option to senior living and rehabilitation, but also bringing in additional jobs to those who reside in the Del Norte and surrounding areas. The board approved the conditional use application with C & G Healthcare Management, which has senior and rehabilitation centers throughout southwestern Colorado and New Mexico. The construction on the facility was finished in mid-June when the inn hosted an open house for the public and local officials to come and tour the building.
The 37,500-square foot facility was built almost entirely by local contractors which helped boost the economy in and around Del Norte exponentially, offering additional jobs to the region and bringing in state of the art health care for senior citizens.
The facility is fully equipped with everything a patient needs to either be rehabilitated and sent home or to stay long-term on a case by case basis. The in-house physical therapy room allows for patients to be treated just down the hall from their living quarters and offers all of the state regulations they must pass before being sent back home. The floor in the physical therapy room has all three required-terrains a patient must be able to walk on before being released that includes, carpet, hardwood flooring and grass, which is located in a private courtyard just outside of the room.
“One of our goals is to keep our therapy full base so that if people need therapy to return to their homes, we can provide that to them. The people who end up staying also know that this is their home and are happy to be here,” continued Humiston.
“The facility had a huge impact on the community because not only do we work to give the senior community a home, we brought all of the displaced people from the previous facility back to the area and closer to their families,” said Humiston. “We want the community to know one thing and that is they are welcome at the facility. Come in and volunteer to play a game or read a book to one of our guests. Building a facility like this in a rural area is a risk, but it’s worth it and the community being involved is what makes us successful.”