Williamsburg Nursing Home celebrates $1 million renovation effort

Forcht Group of Kentucky founder and CEO Terry Forcht speaks to a crowd at the Williamsburg Health and Rehabilitation Center during a gathering last week to celebrate a $1 million renovation effort at the facility.

About 100 people turned out Thursday morning at Williamsburg Health and Rehabilitation Center to celebrate the $1 million renovation of the facility.

"We are so excited to have such a huge turnout for our open house. We are just so delighted that you all could come and enjoy this special day with us," Williamsburg Health and Rehabilitation Center Administrator Michelle Jarboe told the crowd.

The facility opened in 1978 with 100 beds. In 1996, a 25-bed addition was built to the facility, which provides nursing and physician care 24 hours per day to local residents.

"We do have very special in-house therapy teams that do physical, occupational and speech therapy," Jarboe said. "We are a former facility of the year winner in the state of Kentucky, which is something we are very, very proud of."

Forcht Group of Kentucky Chairman Terry Forcht, who owns the facility, also thanked all those in attendance Thursday.

"It is a special time for the Williamsburg Nursing Home and Rehab Center," Forcht said. "We have over the last year spent $1 million of our funds here."

Forcht noted that one important feature at the nursing facility that people won’t generally see are the generators inside the facility.

"These generators cost fantastic amounts of money, and you have to have them built specially, but if the heat or electric goes off, then we have enough power to heat the whole facility," Forcht said.

"This is true throughout our homes. We all rest easier now knowing that the generators will kick in, and we won’t have to evacuate the buildings."

Williamsburg Nursing Home is dedicated to Dr. Harold Barton, Forcht’s business partner, who passed away while the facility was being built.

Williamsburg Mayor Roddy Harrison said that the renovations are well deserved for not only the residents, but also the hard working employees.

"It has always been a beautiful facility, but it is even better now," he added. "The facility, however, is only as good as the people, who work here. These employees are the best in the world.

"They give the highest quality of care to each resident, and they certainly love what they do and it shows. I’m proud of the facility. I’m proud of the work they do, but more importantly, I’m proud to call them friends."

Harrison said he knows this because before he became mayor, he used to have some dealings with the nursing home, At one time those dealings included fitting into an elf costume complete with green tights.

"When Santa Claus landed in Williamsburg, we would come up here and visit with the folks every year for quite some time," he said. "My mother worked here for some years, and then years later she became a resident as well."

Forcht added that he appreciates the partnership and help that the city has provided to the nursing home.

"You can fight around with the cities and all of their utilities and things like that. Our people can work together, and we certainly find that here in Williamsburg," Forcht noted.

82nd District Rep. nominee Regina Bunch, who is unopposed in next week’s special election, noted she has visited people at the Williamsburg nursing home in the past.

"The one thing I have always taken away from this facility is a feeling of home and family. To me there is no greater comfort to a health care facility than that," she said. "We, as a community, are so fortunate to have such a quality facility that we can utilize."

Bunch, who noted she knows several employees at the facility, said the workers are passionate about their jobs and the care they provide to the residents here.

"Healthcare is not stagnant. It is ever changing. This facility just needs to evolve with it and continue to provide quality care for its residents," she said. "We are just so fortunate that this is part of our community."

After the ceremony, guests were treated to a free lunch and tours of the newly renovated facility.

The Barbourville Health and Rehabilitation Center recently broke ground on its new $3 million facility.