Letter: Referendum approval will save health care center

To the Editor-

For more than 100 years, Portage County has provided skilled nursing and long-term care for the elderly and disabled.  

Can you imagine a world where that is no longer the case? I can’t and I won’t stand idly by and watch our five-star rated skilled nursing facility go by the wayside. That’s why I’m voting YES on the Portage County Health Care Center referendum question on the November 6 ballot.  

Countless families have been served by the healthcare facility. Who among us doesn’t know someone who worked a lifetime, contributed to society, scrimped and saved, lived simply and yet found themselves exhausting their hard-earned assets paying for care in their golden years? Sure, a yes vote will mean property taxes will increase but it’s worth it to me to make a small sacrifice to make sure the most vulnerable among us, our most at-risk citizens continue to be taken care of properly.  

I won’t turn my back on current and future residents of the health care center to save a few bucks. I can cut back on my spending a little to do a world of good for others who no longer have the means to do so for themselves. If this referendum fails, the health care center may be forced to close.  

Once it’s gone, it’s gone for good. Save the Portage County Health Care Center.  Vote YES.  

Joe Roppe
Stevens Point