Beating The Odds: Stanton Health Center Staying Open

Olivia Bryant, Emalee Hilbers, Madison Louthan, Emery Warnke and Roberta Schuchman stand outside the Stanton Health Center on a recent afternoon while decorating for Christmas as part of their junior community service project.

​While other nursing home facilities across the state have closed, the Stanton Health Center is continuing to beat the odds. The facility is open with no plans to close.

Interim administrator Sonya Locke said the Stanton Health Center has had it's share of challenges, which led to the assisted living side – Westside Regency Assisted Living — to close earlier this year. She said staffing has been difficult, as it has in most facilities across the country, but the Stanton Health Center is open and has no plans to close.

Locke said a recent television report included the Stanton Health Center on its list of facilities that closed or are closing, but Locke said that was inaccurate. Stanton's nursing home is not closing.

The Stanton community has been so behind the facility that the students recently made it a point to make sure the nursing home residents enjoyed Christmas by decorating and spending time with them. Students even helped write Christmas cards.

April Reese of the Stanton Health Center said the day was fantastic for her residents. Not only did the students decorate outside the facility, they also spent time with residents. Although large groups aren’t allowed, a few were able to go inside masked and make a difference.
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“It’s important for these kids to learn to give,” Reese said. “And this means so much to our residents. The girls today spent time painting nails and writing Christmas cards. They asked the kids about basketball, and they asked our residents what they used to do at Christmas at home. They listened to our residents, so it really meant a lot.”