With only a week left until its Medicare funding expires, Cambria County officials expressed cautious optimism about the future of the county nursing home.

An inspection at Laurel Crest started on Monday and was still under way Tuesday. Officials said the nursing home has been plagued with deficiencies and -- depending on what the Pennsylvania Department of Health finds during the inspection -- crucial funding could be taken away.

The 370-bed facility has a June 19 deadline to comply with state and federal regulations like increasing its staff. If Laurel Crest does not comply, the state has threatened to pull millions of dollars in Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements. Currently, those reimbursements make up 90 percent of the nursing home's budget.

County commissioners said if the nursing home loses those funds, there is no way Laurel Crest can remain in operation. While they still have a week to comply with the regulations, county officials said they are looking at the inspection as a make-or-break situation.

The commissioners will have a meeting with state inspectors on Tuesday or Wednesday and will then have a better idea of how the home fared in the evaluation, officials said.

Another inspection is slated later this summer to determine if the nursing home will get its regular operating license back. The nursing home's six-month provisional license expires in August.

Stay with Channel 6 News for continuing coverage.