St. Joseph County commissioners stick by decision to close Portage Manor

SOUTH BEND — St. Joseph County commissioners announced Tuesday that they will stick with their decision to close Portage Manor. But that came with a potential option to address the public’s and family members’ key concerns: to keep residents together. 

Officials are working with another facility to accept residents from this county home for people with mental illness and disabilities. The other facility isn’t in St. Joseph County. Nor is it in LaPorte County or Michigan, commissioners' attorney Mike Misch told The Tribune. But it’s nearby, he said. 

Misch said the partner facility doesn’t want to be named yet because it hasn’t yet attained licensing from the state of Indiana for the Residential Care Assistance Program, which currently supports about 40 of Portage Manor’s residents.

Last week:Granger doc's Portage Manor plan hits 'catch 22'; she says decision to close already made

Tuesday's announcement came at the commissioners meeting, where President Carl Baxmeyer said it was a matter of “doing what’s right for the residents.” 

“This was something we put a lot of effort into,” Commissioner Derek Dieter said. 

Their recommendation now moves to the county council for a vote on June 13.

Officials had originally cited that the aging building needed renovations and that the home had been running deficits in recent years, eating into its reserves. 

In a statement released Tuesday, Republican council members Amy Drake and Joe Thomas praised Dr. Sylvana Atallah, who submitted a proposal to take over Portage Manor, and the community for offering possibilities to keep the home open, but they also said, “… our options are now exhausted.” 

The alternative facility is “more dependable, safe and updated,” Drake and Thomas said. “While negotiations are still ongoing, we are confident this partner is as dedicated as we are to making sure that residents will be provided with compassionate choices and trustworthy options for their futures. Our number one duty is to the residents.” 

This also marks a decision against Atallah's business plan. The Granger physician was the only person who offered to take over and run the home when the council this spring — at the commissioners’ request — made a last-minute offer of 60 days for someone in the community to come up with a financially sound plan to save Portage Manor. 

A consultant’s review also didn’t support accepting her business plan, a plan that officials said had several gaps. 

Commissioner Fleming is dismayed

Commissioner Deb Fleming, who has supported keeping Portage Manor open from the start, was dismayed at Tuesday’s outcome.  

“Unfortunately, in my opinion, there are so many terrible things that need to be paid for," Fleming said. “And I believe it is not true. I’ve always wanted to help it for years and years. And, again, I’ve been told we can just spend $1.9 million. Oh yes, all right. Let’s do this. Get it updated. Fine. Anyway, that’s just me. I just love to help people.” 

She was also confused, telling Baxmeyer afterwards that she thought they were supposed to vote on it Tuesday. 

Misch told The Tribune that it didn’t require a vote because the commissioners had never reversed their original 2-1 vote a few months ago to close the home. Fleming had voted against closure. 

What is this alternative home?

Portage Manor had 86 residents as of last week, down from 105 on Feb. 7, when commissioners had originally announced they’d begin the process of closing down the home. It has a capacity for 144.    

Mark Huffman, who’s lived at Portage Manor for 33 years, said residents would be happy “as long as we’re still together and remain in South Bend.” 

He also impressed on commissioners that staff should come along with residents to the new place “because the staff are like family to us.” 

And family members told commissioners that they deserved to know where this other place is where residents may move. 

A written statement from the commissioners, embedded in this story online, says that the potential partner runs more than 100 skilled nursing and rehab facilities across the country. Its local facility has a wing that closed during the pandemic, now with room for more than 50 residents. At least 6% of the partner’s residents would be homeless if they weren’t housed there, according to the commissioners’ statement. 

The commissioners recommend giving the remaining $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan dollars — originally set for the closure of Portage Manor — to help the partner to help meet the requirements of the RCAP program. The facility will need revenue while the licensing is worked out and also renovate rooms, create a physician exam room and purchase new furniture. The county would also donate Portage Manor’s furniture and equipment, including a small bus, to the partner facility.  

Commissioners will also ask the county council to support an ongoing contract to consult with Byron Wellness Systems in Fort Wayne to assist in Portage Manor’s transition. And commissioners intend to facilitate a job fair for current Portage Manor staff to possibly gain jobs at the partner facility.  

Trish Becker, whose sister lives at Portage Manor, acknowledged that staff are like family to the residents. 

“I have offered to take her in my home, because I know she won’t be cared for at a nursing home as well as she was at Portage Manor,” Becker said. 

Laura McLellan, whose brother lives in Portage Manor, has been coming from her Ohio home regularly to county meetings to advocate for keeping the home open. Now she’s nervous about this other place and whether it can truly meet her brother’s needs. She prizes Portage Manor because it specializes in particularly vulnerable people with mental health issues like schizophrenia. 

Why the doctor's plan wasn't accepted

Dieter thanked Atallah for her efforts with the “huge” task of forming a business plan to run Portage Manor in such short time. But, ultimately, he and Misch said Atallah provided short, inadequate answers to the commissioners’ 30 printed questions about how she would license, run and support the home. The questions and Atallah’s answers are embedded in this story online. 

The county also released the recommendations of the management consultant, Rick Stiffney of Goshen, who met with Atallah and reviewed her business plan for the commissioners. Stiffney praised Atallah for her passion and initiative but concluded that her newly created, “untested nonprofit” wouldn’t have the experience and ability to bear the burdens of running such a complex facility.  

He also noted how current staff have said they would leave if Atallah took over the facility, though he said there might be various reasons for that. 

Stiffney wrote that he agreed with the local task force (organized to save Portage Manor) that such a public/private partnership “might have been a preferred outcome … had the work and feasibility been done carefully 12-18 months ago,” and he added, “These are complicated to design and negotiate.” 

Atallah, too, felt as though the complex effort to save Portage Manor needed more time. She told commissioners last week that she’d run into two key obstacles to making her plan work:  

● She needed the $2.7 million that commissioners had originally pledged from the pandemic American Rescue Plan. County officials went ahead this spring and approved $1.1 million of it for salaries and bonuses to ensure that staff didn’t leave during the uncertain time.

● Also, to gain state licensing, Atallah said she’d need a deed or document to prove that she would eventually own the building, and certain licensing wouldn’t be possible without some renovations.   

"I’m devastated," community member Pam Claeys, who’s often spoken on the issue, told commissioners. “We knew this was going to happen. It appears some of these decisions have been made behind closed doors. … We will remember this. What are we going to do? I don’t know what else to say.” 

Fleming responded, “Thank you, I agree.” 

South Bend Tribune reporter Joseph Dits can be reached at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.