Granite State Times

Concord, NH – Yesterday, the Governor and Council voted to approve $25,200,000 for the Sullivan County Nursing Home to renovate their existing nursing home facilities.

State funding for this project was originally proposed to the Governor when he spoke before the Charlestown Rotary six months ago, where he committed to supporting this project and worked with legislative leaders to create the County Nursing Home Infrastructure Program which provides the opportunity for all County nursing homes to apply for capital investments.

"The best ideas don't come from Concord – they come from traveling the state," said Governor Chris Sununu. "This funding will help Sullivan County immensely, and I am glad we were able to stand up this program and get the first funds out in such short order – a win for the citizens of Sullivan County."

This award to Sullivan County will enable renovation of its existing nursing home facilities, including an addition that will help maintain capacity due to the demolition of an existing facility wing. The project will improve and modernize the County's nursing home facility, including replacement of HVAC systems that help meet ventilation quality standards and physical improvements to resident rooms and staff areas that help with COVID-19 mitigation and meeting infection control goals.

This funding comes from the County Nursing Home Infrastructure Program, which provides capital investments designed to help mitigate and prevent the spread of future COVID-19 outbreaks in county nursing home facilities, ensure facilities are safe for residents and their families, and help fund facility improvements, where the county is able to provide the majority of funding for an identified project. This is the first award from the program which is open to all 10 of New Hampshire's counties.

This agreement is the first award from this program leaving $24,800,000 remaining for others county nursing homes that are approved with ARPA SFRF eligible needs and costs to fund capital improvements, building expansion, HVAC improvements, and renovations to help update and modernize outdated capital equipment, facilities, and buildings.

Awards are issued in the form of 0% interest loans. Counties must contribute at least 60% of the project cost, with GOFERR providing ARPA SFRF to cover up-to the remaining 40%.

Original source can be found here.