Assisted living facility coming to Portales?

PORTALES — The Roosevelt General Hospital Board of Trustees voted at its Tuesday meeting to issue a request for proposal asking entities to draft designs for a potential senior living community to be located behind the hospital.

The Roosevelt County Community Development Corp. asked the board last month to either donate the land to assisted living facility Bee Hive Homes or lease the land, according to RGH CEO Kaye Green.

Green said a design presented by Bee Hive last month showed a facility with independent living, assisted living, and memory care assisted living facilities.

Green said the RFP doesn’t obligate the hospital to give up the land.

“We’ll just cast the net and see who’s interested,” she said.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting:

• Board members approved a change to the hospital’s retirement plan to have less administrative costs for employees.

Green said employees will be required to pay 1 percent of their retirement, as opposed to 2 percent under the previous plan.

• Green reported that an application for a $500,000 USDA loan to improve the hospital’s infrastructure was approved.

• A new emergency room physician was appointed to the hospital’s staff.

• The board was informed that the terms for trustees Doug Stone and Randy Lieb will expire in December.

An election will be held in November.