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Letter to the Editor | Morals and shame as Washington Co. Board debates fate of Samaritan Home | By Debra Kison

Judy Steffes
By Judy Steffes
824
March 4, 2023 – West Bend, WI – Dear Readers, There has been some activity in deciding the fate of Samaritan’s future, and the fate of the residents who live there/here.
Letter to the Editor fate
The Ad Hoc Committee is working diligently to explore alternative ways to supplement the deficits that plague Samaritan’s bottom-line balance for operating costs.  Although the County Board denied the $30,000 request to achieve that goal, the Ad Hoc Committee continues to obtain the information they need.
There are some in the community, and others that hold County positions of power, past and present, who shame our residents on Medicaid. They criticize those people for not planning well enough for their so called “golden years.”
They shame them for not being prepared for an unexpected stroke, heart disease, MS, or anything else that fate brings them. The average age of residents living at Samaritan is 78 years old.
If you do the math, that takes us back to 1945.  The variances in wages for Social Security benefits and prices for anything and everything from 1945 to 2023 is enough to boggle your mind.
The low-end rate to live at the skilled nursing portion of the Samaritan Campus is $375 per day, which translates to $11,250 per month, and $135,000 per year.
Many of us have recently witnessed just how quickly any life can change; like the 24-year-old NFL Football player who during a game fell to the turf without life.  Fortunately, he survived.
Please remember that scenario before passing judgment on your neighbor.
Sincerely,
Debra Kison
Samaritan resident
2 / 2
Shutter the doors
It takes a village / it’ll take a county / you
Morals and shame / County Board Chair Schlief
Some / it’s our own fault
Justify actions “it’s not like we’re throwing them out on the street”
Fall in line with other counties and fail its seniors

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