Locally Owned and Operated
As we recently announced, John Knox Village East & Meyer Care Center has returned to a self-managed model of operation. In effect, this means that we are one of the only locally owned and operated retirement communities in this area. The benefits to residents and the local community that arise from us being locally owned and operated are threefold: they are financial benefits, operational benefits and philosophical benefits.
The financial benefits to John Knox Village East & Meyer Care Center being locally owned and operated are that we can control prices at the local community level. We are not paying an outside entity to manage our community. Those savings can be redirected into enhancements to the community and personalized services and amenities to the residents.
The operational benefits that emerged from John Knox Village East & Meyer Care Center retaining local ownership and management is that our administration and local board can make decisions that are best for the local community without third party influence and interest. We can make purchasing, partnership, vendor and staffing decisions without answering to parties that are not local and have their financial interest to take into consideration. In this self-managed model, we answer to the local managing board of directors and the residents who live at John Knox Village East & Meyer Care Center and their families.
The philosophical benefits from John Knox Village East & Meyer Care Center being locally owned and operated are that it allows us to continue to operate as a not for profit entity. We did review the option of selling to a larger organization with multiple locations as many healthcare organizations in our area have done. We eliminated this option from consideration because those organizations were touting a switch to a for profit model, instead of our current and long-standing not for profit model. It is not uncommon that when organizations change from “not for profit” to “for profit” that operational costs are passed on to the resident in the form of price increases. Continuing as a not for profit organization allows us to put residents ahead of profits. We don’t have to hit certain profit margins. As long as we can break even or generate a bit of positive cashflow to put back into the community, we can continue to operate and minimize price increases.
We are pleased that our community has transitioned to a locally owned and operated model and continued operating as a not for profit. We are optimistic that this change will position us best to continue to serve Higginsville and the surrounding areas now and into the future. It will enable John Knox Village East & Meyer Care Center to continue providing the same high quality care at a reasonable cost.
Should you have further questions, call us at 660 584 7111 and ask to speak to the administrator, Tiffany Goetz.
