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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Friday, July 08, 2011

Budget Amendment Projects $7 Million No Additional County Contribution to Gracedale

It will cost taxpayers $7 million to fund Gracedale this year, according to a budget amendment ordinance introduced at last night's Northampton County Council meeting. These include $1.7 million in OT, and $19.5 million for union salaries. One County official predicts that, at the current rate, Gracedale will end up costing taxpayers $8 million this year.

No capital projects are included in this budget.

Updated 9:30 PM: This post is erroneous. I am fixing the error with a new post, which should be up soon.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't believe it for a minute. Keep deleting opposing views O'Hare. People now know to go to saving private Gracedale for real factual discussions., Not your skewed and incomplete discussions.

Reality Hurts!

Anonymous said...

4:11 I want to be present when you're lazy ass is finally laid off. It's time to exterminate the county's leeches. Every Gracedale worker is on county welfare and they need to be cut off and made to get real work in the real world. I bet they last about three seconds. That's what sponges do.

Anonymous said...

Why not start filling those empty beds? If Gracedale would streamline their addmissions and be able to respond quickly with a yes we have beds available, they would then be able to support themselves. Personnal experience, my gram was being released from Easton Hosptial. She needed rehab before returning to our home. Hospital social worker called Gracedale. Intake took a week to get back to them. She couldn't wait a week in the hospital for an answer. She went to another facility. It's a shame because Gracedale is closer for us. I don't know who is doing intake at Gracedale but maybe they are the reason Gracedale is in the red.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, shouldn't staff be downsized immediately, given the current occupancy? A more efficient management would have done this months ago. Current staffing levels cannot and should not be maintained. What gives?

Anonymous said...

Gracedale wouldn't have to downsize staff if they would accept new residents. They have unoffically told intake not to respond in a timely manner to accept new residents. So the county can now prove that Gracedale is not making money to support itself. The council didn't want to keep Gracedale because of the public vote they are now forced to. So now they will drive it into the ground just so they can say I told you so.

brenda said...

9:36 am

I think you are grossly misinformed. The county got a sweetheart offer on the property, which is a an investment that is losing market share, needs renovation, cannot sustain itself independantly, and was a terrific way to remove the noose from the taxpayer throat.

The union stepped in to force the noose back onto the taxpayer throat, because they all realize their pie in the sky salary and benefit package exists nowhere but gracedale.

It has nothing to do with spite, everything to do with economics. It really does not matter who owns it at this point, because the outcome will be the same.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"They have unoffically told intake not to respond in a timely manner to accept new residents. "

Unfortunately, you are commenting anonymously, and do not identify any of the persons involved in this conspiracy to defy the people's will.

I fought to sell Gracedale as hard as anyone, but accept that 3 out of 4 voters want to keep Gracedale. As Angle said, our obligation now is to make it run, but without a tax hike bc the people did not ask for that.

So please identify the participants of this conspiracy and exactly what they are doing to make Gracedale operate at a loss.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Bernie, shouldn't staff be downsized immediately, given the current occupancy?"

You would think so, but according to the study, there are certain fixed costs that cannot be reduced. In any event, I would prefer to wait until a new management team is on board. They may come up with a marketing plan, or make recommendations concerning downsizing that won't cost even more money.

Anonymous said...

Well, that's what the people voted for. Now it's time to get the wallets out.

Bernie O'Hare said...

The people voted to keep Gracedale for 5 years. They did not vote to increase taxes. I do not think it is possible to keep Gracedale without a major tax hike, but elected officials have an obligation to try.

Anonymous said...

The people of Northampton County voted for Gracedale to remain county owned and for the residents there to recieve the high levels of care they always have not for Gracedale to be run into the ground by Stoffa and his lackies fill the beds open the closed wing and restore Gracedale to the facility it was before he was elected or resign and let someone else do what the taxpayers of the county want.

brenda said...

The facility that Gracedale once was, and is today, is a public nursing home that has sprung a giant leak. The leak is being plugged by constant influx of tax payer funds. The more it leaks, the more funds are needed to keep it going.

Due to its gigantic fixed costs and the runaway salary and benefit packages that are in the clenches of union teeth, it will not sustain itself without a tax hike.

A private firm does not have the benefit of the public dole to fix its problems. A private outfit will fix the leak by reigning in fixed costs, salaries and benefits. The private firm will determine what the patient census should be, and support that census with the appropriate staffing levels in order to turn a profit.

Gracedale will be county owned for 5 years without bankrupting the taxpaying public for its daily operations and costs.

Anonymous said...

"The people of Northampton County voted for Gracedale to remain county owned and for the residents there to recieve the high levels of care they always have not for Gracedale to be run into the ground by Stoffa and his lackies fill the beds open the closed wing and restore Gracedale to the facility it was before he was elected or resign and let someone else do what the taxpayers of the county want."

--------------------------------

Not true, but that's an impressive run-on sentence from an idiot who wasted a public education. The people voted on a vaguely worded referendum written by a lowlife, money grubbing ethical oilslick masquerading as a lawyer. Stoffa may do what he wants with the goldbricks who think they won something. All he must do is keep it open. It can legally be shrunken to a broom closet for Barron's granny and two others. Gracedale needs to be much, much smaller. No marketing campaign can overcome the economic white elephant issues that have made Gracedale its current money hole. Your days are numbered goldbricks.

Anonymous said...

I love the crap being spouted about how now we have to keep it running without a tax increase..Stop it already..The referendum didnt address the tax issue. You use that to assert that it should be done without a tax increase..That's bull. Stoffa, Angle, both newspapers, and others who wanted it sold said that there would have to be a tax increase if it wasn't sold..People supporting it expected a tax increase. If you try to run Gracedale and the rest of County Government on fumes you will end up like the City of Bethlehem..Council and the executive have the responsibility to keep the county in good financial shape. If they don't then they need to give up their posts and find some others who will do it right..This Federal, State, and now local goverment idea of starving government to death is pathetic..If you dont like government just abolish it totally and give everyone guns. That should please those redneck teabagging assholes!

Anonymous said...

I read with interest the comments of your readers. (1) The people have spoken! Overwhelmingly voted to retain Gracedale. (2) We have a funding problem. Nothing that can't be overcome with a little hard work, common sense, and a sincere approach to retaining Gracedale as the high quality care facility it has always been. (3) Ron Angle has stated it is now time to do the people's will and is looking to make Gracedale profitable or at least self sustaining. Okay Ron, that is very commendable so lay out your plan. The people of Northampton county do not have a lot of trust in the present Council and Administration to do their best in making things work. HERE'S ANOTHER SUGGESTION. Gracedale was profitable for more years than not. Why don't we go back to look at how we made that facility the crown jewel of Northampton County? How about a committee made up of individuals who were actively involved with Gracedale and the operations (budgets, etc.) and see if they can shed some light on this issue. These individuals wouldn't have any authority to change things but could possibly make some recommendations to improve things. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience out their that no one has tapped. Oh, by the way, I voted to retain Gracedale. I don't mind my tax dollars going to our elderly citizens who are no longer able to care for themselves. I just want Gracedale to be the most efficiently run Nursing Home in the State.

Anonymous said...

You are not being told the entire story and O'Hare is complicit in helping to keep the truth form you.

Shame on you Bernie. There is a reason you are no longer an officer of the court!

Zorn said...

sell the albatross that hangs around the county's neck and rid the county of all of the money and benefit bleeding union cry babies

Bernie O'Hare said...

Anon 2:47, the taxpayers authorized no tax hike. It is disingenuous to suggest that one was implied. The challenge facing Council is to keep Gracedale, improve it, and .do so without a tax hike. That might be unavoidable, but Council represents ALL the people, not just Gracedale workers.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Anon 3:00, Angle laid out a road map, which was adopted by Council. The first thing he did was to ask for help from the Gracedale crowd. He wanted them to pressure state reps and senators about the reimbursement rate, which ism declining. They refused. The second thing was getting new management. That is in the works. A third thing is devoting any excess bond proceeds to Gracedale. A fourth thing is creating a separate account for Gracedale and preventing the diversion of Gracedale money.

Anonymous said...

Stop the crap O'Hare. People have asked their state rep's to help. Angle knows this is a straw dog argument. More of his nonsense.

Angle/Stoffa have one desire, destroy Gracedale. They need the money to fund the drug addict lounge and prop up Angle run for Executive.

Stoffa has been offered great help and for free. he has rejected it.

Tell The Truth!!

Anonymous said...

County run homes are profit losers causing taxpayers money. The more beds are filled, the more it will be in the hole and the more the public will have to pay. If the people wanted it to be saved, it has to be downsized and there have to be layoffs. If it were half the size it is now, then the budget amendment would be 3.5 million.

Anonymous said...

Anon 8:42, apparently not. But O'Hare will allow your erroneous post to stand, it is his way.