McKay Healthcare pays down debt to Grant County

SOAP LAKE — McKay Healthcare and Rehabilitation has cut its debt to Grant County by more than half, due in part to money the facility received after the coronavirus outbreak. Administrator Erica Gaertner said she is concerned the debt may start creeping up again, however, as McKay copes with the cost of procedures associated with the outbreak.

Grant County Treasurer Darryl Pheasant said that as of Sept. 30, McKay had cut the amount it owed to the county to $310,000. McKay owed $670,000 as of the end of September 2019, Pheasant said.

As an extended-care facility McKay was, and is, required to severely restrict access during the outbreak. Like most healthcare facilities, McKay received federal funds to make up for some of its lost revenue. That helped cover some of McKay’s expenses, especially personnel costs, and allowed administrators to put additional resources toward paying its debts, Gaertner said.

McKay was among the facilities borrowing money from Grant County to pay some of its bills when it didn’t have enough cash on hand, a process that uses interest-bearing warrants. The district borrows money from the county, then pays the money back with interest.

The limits placed on access to the facility also allowed McKay to pay down its debt to staffing services that provided some temporary employees, Gaertner said. McKay has not used temporary certified nurse assistants (CNAs) since March.

McKay’s permanent staff has responded to the challenge, especially CNAs who have worked extra shifts. “They (the staff) have just done amazing,” she said.

However, Gaertner said she wouldn’t be surprised if the warrant balance started creeping back up again, mostly due to the cost of coronavirus testing.

“The cost of testing is astronomical,” she said.

As of Wednesday, McKay had not had a positive test of staff or residents, Gaertner said.

McKay must follow a testing regimen mandated by the state; its frequency depends on the coronavirus infection rate in Grant County. If the county-wide infection rate is more than 10 percent, McKay must test staff twice per week and offer twice-weekly testing to residents.

There are two tests available, she said, and for the first option, a box of 30 tests is $982. As for the second option, “I don’t know how much these cost because nobody can buy them yet,” she said.

The tests are shipped to the University of Washington, at about $90 for the overnight shipping, and McKay must pay $100 to $110 for every test. Gaertner said McKay has 54 employees and 33 residents.

The facility did receive about $52,000 in federal grants to pay for testing, she said, but that money will run out more quickly the more tests that are required.

As of Wednesday, Grant County’s infection rate was such that testing is required once per week. But one positive result would trigger a much more intensive testing regimen. Gaertner said she is concerned about the impact of the testing on McKay’s finances the longer the testing continues.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.