Health dept. buys former nursing home

SANDUSKY — The Erie County Health Department has completed its purchase of the former Genacross Lutheran Services nursing home in Sandusky. The former nursing home, at 795 Bardshar Road, closed in 2017. Since 2020, the health department had leased it, most recently serving as space for the Compass Point Senior Enrichment Center. Several other uses are being considered for the remaining space, county health commissioner Pete Schade said. Schade said the building cost the health department $807,000, including $4,000 in fees. The building offers about 45,000 square feet and sits on 12 acres of land. This building needs a new kitchen and a new heating and air conditioning system. Schade estimates that it could cost between $1 million and $1.5 million. The health department is seeking federal funds and has asked U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Toledo, for help. Background The health department began leasing the former nursing home in March 2020, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide additional beds if the number of patients overwhelmed the capacity of Firelands Regional Medical Center. Although the hospital had to deal with large numbers of patients when the pandemic hit its peak, it was able to cope with the load, and the former nursing home was unused for some time while the health department leased it. In late 2023, the health department began to use some of the space when it opened Compass Point — offering food, activities and care for several hours a day to seniors with memory issues — in order to provide a break to caregivers at home. Caregivers who need help can drop off their loved ones, or the health department can offer transportation, Schade said. Compass Point takes up about 10,000 square feet, although the space it uses could be shrunk, if necessary, Schade said. What could go there? Schade said there is no shortage of ideas for how to use the additional space. He noted how area nonprofits, such as OHgo and local churches, have been paying a lot of money to provide temporary housing at a local hotel for women and their children. The health department might be able to offer better and cheaper temporary housing at the Bardshar Road building, he said. The health commissioner said he also has been in conversations with Erie County Job and Family Services and other local authorities about housing foster children in the building. Many of them now have to be sent outside Erie County at great expense, and the health department could possibly save the county money and reduce the number of children sent farther away, Schade. The health department has also talked about housing its lead abatement office at the Bardshar Road building, Schade said.