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	June 23, 2003 Sims announces successful purchase agreement for Central Area nursing home King County Executive Ron Sims announced today that negotiations to move forward with the purchase and sale of the nursing home formerly known as the Branch Villa Health Care Center have been successfully completed and final contracts will be signed for the property on Friday. The King County Council approved the agreement earlier today. "Enormous community effort over many months brought about the result we celebrate today," said Executive Sims. "King County is pleased to be a part of the collaboration that will make it possible for this nursing home, so much a part of the fabric of life in the Central Area, to continue to serve the residents of that community for many years to come. I thank the King County Council for their quick action in approving this agreement, and for joining the efforts to preserve this community resource." The nursing home, now known as the Leon Sullivan Health Care Center, had been threatened with closure since November of last year when it was learned the former owner was unable to make payroll and mortgage payments. A citizen group, Community Coalition to Save Branch Villa, formed to fight the closure and gained a court order to postpone state action to move patients from the facility. They were successful in attracting a new operator, Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC), to take over the management of the facility. The Coalition approached the Executive in March to ask for King County's help in negotiating a purchase and transfer of the Branch Villa property, owned by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to OIC. Under federal regulations, local government has the right to purchase a foreclosed federal property prior to its being advertised to the general public. When the state approved OIC's license in April to operate the facility, King County began the process of negotiating with HUD for the purchase of the property and a contract for the immediate transfer of the property to OIC in a simultaneous closing. "We could not have saved the center for our community without the leadership of Executive Sims, and we are extremely grateful to him for his support and to all the members of the coalition and the community who rallied to join our efforts to save this facility," said Nat Jackson, co-chair of the Community Coalition to Save Branch Villa. "We are very pleased to welcome Opportunities Industrialization Center of Washington as a new contributing member of our community." Opportunities Industrial Center (OIC) is a non-profit corporation headquartered in Yakima. Their mission is to eliminate unemployment, poverty and illiteracy. It is one of the largest community-based organizations in Washington. "We are pleased to join this community and determined to make this facility a leader in high quality skilled nursing care, providing culturally relevant health care services to all our residents so that they can live out their lives with dignity," said Henry Beauchamp, executive director of OIC. The transfer of the nursing home to OIC would not have been possible without the support and involvement of several key state and federal legislators along the way. State legislators Sen. Adam Kline (D-37) and Representative Sharon Tomiko-Santos (D-37) were instrumental in keeping the home open until OIC could get their license to operate. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) was also influential behind the scenes, keeping the entire process moving and assisting King County with HUD negotiations Provided that OIC has all the financing necessary to purchase the facility in a simultaneous closing, Executive Sims will sign a contract for the purchase and sale with HUD this Friday. For more information on the Leon Sullivan Health Care Center please call Cheryl Markham, King County Community and Human Services, at 206-205-1417. Updated: June 23, 2003 Executive's home Executive's news Executive's site map | E-mail the Executive King County | Executive | News | Services | Comments | Search Links to external sites do not constitute endorsements by King County. By visiting this and other King County web pages, you expressly agree to be bound by terms and conditions of the site. The details.