Editor:
Samaritan Health Services, based in Corvallis, threatened to close Wiley Creek Community, the assisted living facility in Sweet Home.
That meant displacing more than 40 sick, elderly, in-need residents in return for a 15-bed facility for addicts of drugs and alcohol.
Fortunately, our community values those 40 plus residents, the 35 employees that were losing their jobs, and the property at Wiley Creek and its mission. The people of Sweet Home came together and stood up for those valuable resources.
Because of that, Samaritan Health reversed its closure decision. Wiley Creek remains an assisted living, and because Samaritan realized its importance to this community, will probably be enhanced to include more services and amenities. That’s great news.
I would personally like to thank everyone who spoke up and showed up to support the residents and staff. My mother lives at Wiley Creek. There are people residing there who have positively affected our family in one way or another through the years. There is a staff there who we trust and care for, as they care for the people we love.
If it wasn’t for the wonderful people of Sweet Home, who made their voices heard, all that would have been dismantled. So a huge thank you, from the heart.
Kathy Horn
Sweet Home