Island Nursing Home leaders ask towns for $100,000 as staffing, housing and finances threaten restart
June 30, 2026 | Stonington, Hancock County, Maine
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Representatives for Island Nursing Home (INH) appealed to the Stonington Selectmen for financial help to restart the facility as a residential care operation, saying the home faces staffing shortfalls, housing gaps and an uncertain fiscal picture.
Skip Greenlaw and Leon Weed told the board the facility faces a multi‑hundred‑thousand‑dollar shortfall and asked towns to consider a $100,000 contribution to restart operations. Greenlaw said the organization’s budget showed a deficit and that projected Medicare reimbursements and prior revenue assumptions may not cover operating costs. The Selectmen and Town Manager Billings said the request lacked the formal budgeting and petition paperwork the town would need before committing taxpayer funds.
The applicants described a strained revenue model and said additional local housing would help staff retention. The board and TM repeatedly asked for clearer, current financial statements and emphasized that a town‑meeting article would be required for any appropriation. TM Billings told the board she would advise INH representatives on the proper petition process and that the town could not act without more complete documentation.
Why it matters: INH provides elder care services used by multiple island communities; closure or continued uncertainty could increase pressure on regional health services and on families seeking local long‑term care.
Discussion and next steps: Board members pressed INH representatives for up‑to‑date budgets and asked the group to prepare a formal petition for a future town meeting. Greenlaw and Weed said they would continue outreach to the towns and return with the requested financial detail. The board did not commit funds at the meetings recorded in the transcript.
Ending: INH representatives offered to attend monthly Selectmen meetings to keep the towns updated; Selectmen requested the formal town‑meeting petition and precise financial schedules before any action would be taken.
Skip Greenlaw and Leon Weed told the board the facility faces a multi‑hundred‑thousand‑dollar shortfall and asked towns to consider a $100,000 contribution to restart operations. Greenlaw said the organization’s budget showed a deficit and that projected Medicare reimbursements and prior revenue assumptions may not cover operating costs. The Selectmen and Town Manager Billings said the request lacked the formal budgeting and petition paperwork the town would need before committing taxpayer funds.
The applicants described a strained revenue model and said additional local housing would help staff retention. The board and TM repeatedly asked for clearer, current financial statements and emphasized that a town‑meeting article would be required for any appropriation. TM Billings told the board she would advise INH representatives on the proper petition process and that the town could not act without more complete documentation.
Why it matters: INH provides elder care services used by multiple island communities; closure or continued uncertainty could increase pressure on regional health services and on families seeking local long‑term care.
Discussion and next steps: Board members pressed INH representatives for up‑to‑date budgets and asked the group to prepare a formal petition for a future town meeting. Greenlaw and Weed said they would continue outreach to the towns and return with the requested financial detail. The board did not commit funds at the meetings recorded in the transcript.
Ending: INH representatives offered to attend monthly Selectmen meetings to keep the towns updated; Selectmen requested the formal town‑meeting petition and precise financial schedules before any action would be taken.
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