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Although Lakeview Homes (Lakeview Home, Oak Terrace and Heritage House) are no longer owned by the City of Gaylord, changes in how the facilities operate are expected to be minimal.

RoxAnne Gosson of Mankato is now serving as administrator of the facilities. A native of Benson, Gosson has 16 years experience in nursing home administration.

She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in community health from Mankato State University and her master’s degree in continuing studies, with an emphasis in gerontology. “In those courses, I did my nursing home administration coursework,” she explained.

Gosson was employed as a nursing home administrator for the Good Samaritan Society for 10 years. She worked in Mountain Lake and in Waterville.

Most recently, she was hired by Oak Terrace in North Mankato, owned by developers Mick Montag and Dennis Hood, to serve as administrator. North Mankato’s Oak Terrace includes an independent living building, assisted living and memory care unit.

She will serve as administrator both at North Mankato and Gaylord. At this time, she plans to work at the Gaylord office three days per week.

“I’m excited (about Gaylord) because of the employees, residents and the community. This facility has a very good reputation. I”m lucky. What you have are very dedicated, long-term staff, and they’ve really accepted me.”

What is the goal?

“The goal is to offer a good quality product with different service options,” Gosson explained. “Residents can go into independent living, assisted living, memory care or full-fledged nursing home. The goal of this campus is to make the transition easier for service options, by being housed in one campus.”

“I know that it was hard for the City of Gaylord to get to this point,” Gosson said. “But this will be such a valuable addition to the city and something that the Gaylord residents can be proud of.”

The new owners have not turned over any staff, she said. There will be very minimal changes.

“We would eventually like to have a receptionist at the main front entrance to assist visitors upon entering the building and to answer the telephone, she said.

“The department heads are good at what they do and are so knowledgeable and want good quality care for the residents here,” Gosson commented.

She said that it anticipated more staff will be needed as the expansion progresses. She also predicted that staff will have more variety in their positions.

Gosson and her husband Jim have two children. They have a 21-year-old son, Mitch, who is a student at Minnesota State University, Mankato and a daughter, Nikki, who is a senior at Mankato East High School.