Hillcrest Living, in Sumner, Iowa, is looking for your help! Your support can make a significant difference in our Continuing Care Retirement Community. We provide a continuum of care for people, from independent residents in our SouthView Apartments to those who need additional care in our assisted living, The Terrace, and those who need a higher level of care in our original building, Hillcrest Home, a nursing and skilled nursing home.

Sumner is a rural community in Northeast Iowa with just over 2,000 people. Nursing homes and CCRCs in rural areas have been having a hard time surviving under normal conditions, with Thirty-Six Nursing Homes closing in Iowa since 2020. Twenty-two of those closings happened in 2022 alone. There are many reasons, including lack of funding and the pandemic. Hillcrest has survived all of these storms since opening in 1965. Recently however, we have been presented with a new and difficult challenge, significantly affecting our ability to weather future storms.

On Monday, August 26, 2024, the ceiling in a resident room collapsed. We are truly blessed that only minor injuries were sustained by the resident. That evening, several more areas were identified as areas that would inevitably collapse. This led to nineteen residents being evacuated from our West Wing. Residents were housed internally as well as with our neighbor Community Memorial Hospital. Since this incident, we have been able to move all residents back to the CCRC, but no one has yet been able to return to their own room due to needed repairs.

These repairs are financially expensive for Hillcrest, especially since our insurance does not cover the claim. Nothing is more important than the safety and well-being of our residents, staff, and guests.

To offset some of these costs, we are starting a capital funds campaign and hosting a meal with a silent auction. The meal with a silent auction will be held at the American Legion in Sumner on November 3, 2024. The Legion generously donated its space for this event, and we are so grateful to them for this gesture.

Please consider donating to the silent auction and/or monetary donation. Thank you in advance for your consideration and help as we progress towards a bright and safe future.

Beth Diers, LNHA

Hillcrest Living -- Silent Auction and Meal November 3, 2024

Help us fund repairs needed to the Hillcrest Building