2020-01-22 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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State will review the applicant's policies, procedures, and intended operating guidelines. The facility's staffing levels will be part of this review by the State. The applicant employs personnel with professional experience of having worked in the field of providing care at assisted living or memory care facilities. The applicant does not currently own or operate assisted living or memory care facilities. The applicant has not yet obtained licensure to operate its proposed facility. They intend to apply for licensure within one year. Issuing an Interim Use Permit will afford them the opportunity to move forward with constructing the facility knowing they have interim approval for use of property as a senior living/memory care facility. Should they fail to obtain their necessary licensure, an Interim Use Permit will allow the land to revert to a state where future owners will be required to apply for land use permissions based on the individual circumstances of their proposed use. Public Safety Services Memory care and assisted living facilities can be associated with an increased number of calls for emergency public safety services. This type of patient population has greater needs for medical services and are at a greater risk for injury. The applicant will operate a 16-unit senior living/memory care facility. The relatively small size of this facility means the business model will employ less staff than would a larger facility. With less staff at the facility to address patient matters, the facility's staff may need to call 911 for support. Any assisted living facility will proportionally increase calls for emergency services simply due to the type of patient population served by these facilities. However, the City should be concerned with the potential for increased costs for emergency services if 911 calls were used to supplement the applicant's facility staffing. The Mayo Clinic studied emergency medical utilization of assisted living facilities in Olmsted County, Minnesota.' In one finding the report concludes, Data findings show that one-third of visits from [Assisted Living Facilities] to the [Hospital Emergency Department] occurred during weekends and after traditional clinic hours. Traditional primary care medical models featuring ambulatory clinic hours (8 am to 5 pm) may not meet the current and future needs of medically complex older adults. To operate this facility the applicant proposes, "Our staff will consist of two people on - site during the day and one overnight." The applicant submitted three proposed staff policies and procedures to the City regarding their response to emergency situations. The proposed policies and procedures will be subject to State review at the time they apply for their operating licensure. It is reasonable for the City to place operating conditions on the facility to ensure that an increase in emergency service is the responsibility of the applicant, and not the City. ' A Comparison of Emergency Medical Service Utilization in Assisted Living and Long -Term Care Facilities, Ericka E Tung, MD, MPH, Mayo Clinic, Annals Of Long -Term Care, Sept/Oct 2017. 2