A plan to let nursing homes in most of Missouri’s counties turn vacant rooms into senior citizen living quarters is halfway through the legislature. The proposal would let nursing homes in eighty-nine of Missouri’s 114 counties rent some of their unused space to people who don’t need nursing services. The emergency services that are part of regular nursing home care would not be available–in fact, emergency call buttons would be disconnected.
Senator Brian Munzlinger of Lewistown, in rural northeast Missouri, has pushed the bill through the state senate.
He says, a farm couple getting along in years–for example–or maybe a rural widow or widower not wanting to spend another winter living in an old and drafty home when the roads might be bad, would find senior living space in an unused part of a nursing home a welcome place.
It is easier to list the counties this bill will NOT apply to than to list those that it will. (The Missouri Association of Counties provided this list).
AUDIO: Perfection Debate 5:49 (Final passage debate was brief)
Not Applying:
CLASS 1 (TOTAL 18)
BOONE
GREENE
BUCHANAN
JACKSON (charter)
CALLAWAY
JASPER
CAMDEN
JEFFERSON (charter)
CAPE GIRARDEAU
PLATTE
CASS
ST. CHARLES (charter)
CLAY
ST. FRANCOIS
COLE
ST. LOUIS (charter)
FRANKLIN
TANEY
CLASS 2 (TOTAL 3)
CHRISTIAN
NEWTON
LINCOLN
Here’s a link to MAC’s 2013 list of county classifications (TC means it is a township county). THE BILL APPLIES TO THOSE THAT ARE LISTED AS 3RD AND 4TH CLASS COUNTIES.
Click to access 2013-classification_416.pdf
