Care Center director set to retire after decades of service

CHENEY – Keith Fauerso, long-time director of the Cheney Care Center, is retiring at the end of March. Fauerso has been at the helm of the facility since 1988.

"We're kind of unique as we are the only not-for-profit skilled facility in the state of Washington that was founded through community effort," Fauerso said.

The original care center was located where the El Rodeo Mexican restaurant is. The Washington Department of Social and Health Services closed that facility in the mid-'70s because it didn't meet current industry standards.

With the help of congressional support from Tom Foley and Sen. Sam Guess, the community group started the non-profit and raised over $330,000 between 1976 to 1979 to build the Cheney Care Facility at 2219 N 6th Street, which was a considerable upgrade. According to Fauerso, the care center is the top private employer in Cheney.

Fauerso came to the Cheney Care Center from the for-profit world of elderly care. The for-profit business, he said, put him off because many priorities were shifted away from the care aspect and instead focused on using their residents as a way to turn a profit.

"A lot of the stigmas (about nursing homes) come from that," Fauerso said.

Fauerso said the vast majority of creating a good care center revolves around how the director treats his staff and employees. If they are taken care of, that level of care extends to its residents.

The not-for-profit business model, he said, comes with a lot of benefits. It also presents a lot of challenges.

"We're $30 a day underfunded," he said. "If the care center has 30 residents, then we are $328,500 in debt to start the year off."

Marketing plays an essential role in the director's duties. Fauerso said around 30 percent of the care center's residents come from Spokane, and they need to keep that pipeline strong to help pay the bills because many of the residents rely on the state's Medicaid program for their care.

"There's been a lot of stress, but it's been wonderful because I love working with people, and basically, that's my job," Fauerso said. "It's a people business."

Fauerso leaves a legacy behind that includes the addition and expansion of many of the care center's flagship programs. Its home care agency and the assisted living program help seniors at an intermediate level where they don't need to be in the critical care unit but don't want to live by themselves anymore.

While Fauerso is looking forward to spending more time with his grandkids, he will miss the residents at the care center.

"My favorite part (of being at the facility) would be sitting down with residents and just hearing their stories and interacting with them," Fauerso said. "That's the one thing that's kept me active and passionate-we laugh a lot, and we laugh at ourselves and we laugh with people."