The Mancos Valley Inn completed a $500,000 remodel last month and now maintains 60 private rooms.

The nursing home on Third Avenue dropped its licensure from 110 beds to 60 effective April 1, said Joyce Humiston, the CEO and President of C&G Health Care Management. The company manages Vista Grande and the Valley Inn.

"We still have access to those beds. But we wouldn't reopen them without a need shown, and it would have to be a pretty serious need," she said.

A demand for private rooms helped drive the change. The reduction also helped lower the cost of the workforce, she said in a letter to the Montezuma County Hospital District and the Southwest Health System Board.

Moving to all private rooms has made life easier for residents and staff by preventing conflict and room changes, said Ashlee Monarco, the Valley Inn administrator.

Work on the Valley Inn's remodel started in January and individual wings of the building were closed off as carpet was replaced and walls were repainted, she said.

The 21-year-old building had never had a major remodel, and the administration took the opportunity to paint over pink walls, rip out purple carpet and replace the wooden railings with plastic ones.

Now much of the building has a cowboy theme and features much warmer colors, Monarco said.

"It just suits me fine," resident Clyde Alexander said.

Ten-year resident Abe Valdez, said he appreciated his new private room and the new flooring in the dining area. A laminate with a faux-wood finish replaced the carpet, and it stays much cleaner, he said.

The burgundy and wood-paneled nurses' station that nurse Lisa Lindsay described as "broken down" was remodeled with granite.

Some of the window sills and other countertops throughout the building were also replaced with granite.

The nursing home employs 55 people, making it one of the largest employers in Mancos. It's currently full and has a waiting list for potential residents.