Zrinski Addresses a Senior Center Crisis

On Thursday, NorCo Exec Tara Zrinski updated County Council on the recent decision to close the Northampton Borough Senior Center. She has a "sustainable operating plan" to keep the facility open as a community-based organization. 

Northampton County operates 9 senior centers, while Lehigh operates 11. 

Zrinski reported that there is a statewide funding crisis for senior centers. This is the result of both the end of federal American Rescue Plan and declining state funding combined with rising costs for meals, transportation, staffing, and other services. A dozen senior centers across Pennsylvania have already closed, with 40 more slated for termination. 

Statewide, there's an estimated $50 million statewide funding gap for aging services, and they include far more than senior centers. 

 The Department of Aging's responsibilities also include:

- Meals on Wheels (the county cleared a wait list, but 13 mor have applied);

- Emergency food assistance

- Health and wellness programs

- Transportation

- Home modifications

- Medication management

- Personal emergency response systems

- Cooling centers during extreme heat; and 

- In-home personal care services (there are 62 people on a personal care wait list)

Zrinski pointed out that "When you have people at a senior center, and you have people on a care wait list, people waiting to be bathed, people waiting for in-home services, and you think, 'Well, we have able-bodied seniors and we have people who cannot change themselves. Who do we provide services to first?" 

Could the county make up the $1-1.5 million shortfall? According to Zrinski, no. She cited and waved a 1991 Council resolution barring the administration from funding more than is allotted by the state. 

The budget at Northampton's senior center includes $90,000 for meals, $11,000 for rent and $8,000 for operating expenses. This excludes the cost of a 27-hour per week part-time employee. 

So though the county will continue to pay rent until the end of the year, it is unable to support the senior center.

She's suggesting the formation of an autonomous community group that can provide volunteers for a newly organized nonprofit like Neighbors in Need. to provide a safe setting fand social interaction or seniors.

After she finished her presentation, Council member Jeff Warren fawned over it, claiming that Zrinski is thinking "outside the box," a phrase that she herself later used to describe her plan.

I'm a bit more skeptical. If Zrinski wanted to think outside the box, she could ignore a 1991 County Council resolution that has no binding effect on her or future County Councils. She could ask County Council to rescind the resolution. She could also consider merging two senior centers on south side Bethlehem that are within a stone's throw from each other. One is located at the Rooney building, and the other at the Hispanic center/ Frankly, at a time when we should be more inclusive and have even established a Human Relations Commission, why would we want to have separate senior centers for those who speak Spanish and those who don't?  With the money saved by this merger, it might be possible to continue the senior center in Northampton

Over Zrinski's Objection, NorCo Council Approves Gracedale Oversight Committee

Despite a tongue-lashing from Executive Tara Zrinski that they were stepping on her toes, NorCo Council voted last night to establish a Gracedale Oversight Committee proposed by Council member Dave Holland and supported by fellow Council members Lori Vargo Heffner, Tom Giovanni, Jason Boulette, Theresa Fadem and even Jeff Warren. It was opposed by Council members Ken Kraft, Kelly Keegan and Nadeem Qayyum. Qayyum had argued in support of the committee, so I think he probably intended to vote Yes. 

Zrinski, who had just finished chiding Council over their refusal to go along with her choice of a Fiscal Director at the salary she wanted to pay, amazingly claimed that County Council has no authority to provide oversight of her administration and was crossing the line into actual administration. She argued that Council's sole role under the Home Rule Charter is to adopt legislation, enact a budget and confirm appointments. 

This is nonsense. 

Northampton County's Home Rule Charter specifically grants 13 specific powers to County Council, including the power to require periodic special reports, conduct investigations and even issue subpoenas. In short, it has oversight authority. The Home Rule Charter also clearly states that all residual powers of the county are vested in County Council.

In contrast, the Executive has no residual power. She does have administrative authority over day-to-day matters, but is specifically required to present information regarding the business and affairs of the county as Council might request. That is the whole point of County Council Committees. 

The problem with government, on all levels, is that the Executive branch has grown too strong. This is how we end up with statewide lockdowns or executive orders that bypass the legislature. There has been too little oversight. 

Zrinski's fear, as I understand her, is that County Council would be taking over the administration of Gracedale. Nothing in Holland's resolution (you can read it here), remotely suggests any such intent. It specifically states it is being formed because Council "has a unique duty of oversight to ensure that Gracedale residents are receiving medical, respite and rehabilitation care under the auspices of Northampton County in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations."

Something wrong with that?

When asked by Council member Kelly Keegan why this Committee was needed, Holland noted that Council has just established a new department for Gracedale, and it makes sense to have a standing committee for that department as it does for others. Without it, there would be no oversight of Gracedale at all. 

Kraft argued that Gracedale could be included as part of Human Services and accused Holland of "overreaching." But as Boulette pointed out, Human Services includes a wide array of different departments, from Aging to Children and Youth, and even Veterans Affairs. He noted that in a committee earlier that day, Gracedale was covered for just 15 minutes. He and Vargo Heffner both argued that Council does have the authority to provide oversight. "I see nothing wrong with the term 'oversight,' "said Vargo Heffner. "People could be uncomfortable with it, and I don't think it implies that anybody is going to be telling anybody else what to do." She added that every Council Committee is, in fact, an oversight committee. 

Fadem made the point that an oversight committee is necessary because Gracedale is "in crisis mode. They have a Provisional II license." 

Next week, I'll fill you in on the other matters considered by County Council last night during its regular and committee hearings. 

Happy 4th! 

Father Who Left Unattended Child in Car Charged With Homicide

Below is a news release from the NorCo DA:

Father Who Left Child Unattended in Car Charged With Homicide by BernieOHare

NorCo Council to Consider Gracedale, Fiscal Director Salary and Senior Centers Tonight

Tonight, Northampton County Council will be discussing Gracedale, the Fiscal Director Salary and Senior Centers.

Gracedale - An Update is scheduled during the Human Services Committee, and it is supposed to come from Director Sue Wandalowski. Why? Just weeks ago, Gracedale was removed from her portfolio, so why is the mouthpiece? And she herself has stated in several of her defensive presentations that she's no expert. She is defensive and inaccurate when it comes to the nursing home. The person who should know what is going on is the Administrator, but she has only rarely spoken. 

When the full County Council meets, they will consider the establishment of a Gracedale Oversight Committee, which hopefully will be headed by Dave Holland, a former Administrator at both Gracedale and in Monroe County. 

That's overdue, especially after the latest visit from the Department of Health that included: (1) another resident (I think we're at four, but he's called Resident 1) who wandered off and who had to be brought back by police; (2) an agency LPN who documented having provided medications and performed tests on the resident while he was wandering the streets of Nazareth, a pretty neat trick; and (3) a biker resident (he's Resident 2) who never should have been admitted and was hoarding meds like oxycodone and bringing in booze and a knife. 

One of my readers, a "local healthcare expert," had this to say:

A friendly review from a local healthcare expert… resident 1 was not assessed properly and should have been on a locked unit based on the resident’s mental health status. There was poor or likely no communication between the aide, lpn and nursing supervisor. The lpns and nursing supervisors are very weak as demonstrated by the various severe deficiencies. Resident 2 should never have been admitted to Gracedale. It was obviously done to fill a bed. No plans were developed to manage the resident’s substance abuse disorder. He belongs in a rehab facility, not a nursing home. The bed is better left empty than admitting a trainwreck violent resident who Gracedale is likely not even able to bill for. I am sure he is there for free care. Dumb. Who wants grandpa living with a drug user biker with dangerous behaviors. And get rid of the smoking. Very few nursing homes allow it. It is a risk for a variety of reasons and takes staff away from care to supervise smoking. Lastly, I see that Gracedale is already partially under the direction of a nursing home management company - CHR. That nugget is in the last sentence of the plan of correction and should be communicated to the general public. The state directed them to use a state authorized company to train the staff as the state determined the home (really the county) is unable to do so. And by the way, the plan of correction is overly complicated and just not doable for any nursing home. So many steps in these processes that no nursing home could comply with. After the plan of correction is completed, run it through quality assurance committee to develop more simplified processes that are doable. Shrink the home down to 350-400 residents, get somebody in there like CHR or other qualified outsourced professionals to run the operation, and rebuild from the ground up. Crazy things can and do happen at every healthcare facility whether it be a hospital or nursing home. It is people taking care of people. You must have systems to deal with those situations. Gracedale has no systems. I hope the county officials read this for the benefit of the poor souls who live there.

Senior Centers. - The state recently cut $400,000 from the county's budget, which is used to fund senior centers. There might be more cuts if and when the state legislature adopts a budget. This will be discussed in the Human Services Committee. 

Fiscal Director. - Last week, the county lost out on a CPA with 30 years of accounting experience because they insisted on setting the pay at a much lower salary than the Executive wanted to provide. It's true that County Council. with some limitations, sets the salary. So Council will be asked to give the Executive authority to negotiate a salary with a proposed hire. 

NorCo Council Member Jason Boulette's Facebook Page Includes Explanations of His Votes

Jason Boulette is one of four new members of Northampton County Council. I want to draw your attention to his Facebook page. Of course, much of it is self-promotional, which is to be expected from someone who must periodically seek public approbation. But I like his occasional "Transparency Tuesday," in which he explains his votes and gets occasional feedback from other Council members and, of course, the public. In Lehigh County, Ron Beitler does much the same thing. He's a bit busy now with Controller Mark Pinsley's proposed intangible property tax, which is disguised as a "wealth tax."

Bethlehem City Council Lacks Quorum at June 16 Meeting

Only three members of Bethlehem City Council (Colleen Laird, Bryan Callahan and Hillary Kwiatek) bothered to show up for its June 16 meeting. This resulted in a lack of a quorum, and the result of this is that no business could be conducted. 

Public comment was still received for nearly an hour.  

Pa. State Budget Late Again

Pennsylvania's General Assembly has done it again. It has failed to adopt a budget by the June 30 deadline. In fact, the state senate has actually recessed until next week. Since 2015, the state budget has been late 9 times. The last budget was adopted 135 days late. 

Pa. DOH - Gracedale Had Yet Another Elopement, a Dishonest LPN and a Resident Who Probably Does Not Belong There

Although NorCo Exec Tara Zrinski should be commended for an ambitious if expensive plan to save Gracedale, the fact remains that the beleaguered home in serios trouble. It was downgraded from a regular to a Provisional I license late last year, and that has recently been downgraded to a Provisional II. Gracedale is the only nursing home in the state with a Provisional II license, and as Council member Dave Holland has warned, this could result in serious repercussions. The state could bar the home from accepting new residents, could stop Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement or take over the facility with more competent management than it has had. 

This downgrade is undoubtedly due to a DOH inspection on May 16, which you can read for yourself here. It is a damning indictment of the home's management. For the fourth time, a resident just walked out of the facility and was gone for five hours before a police officer called at 1 am. An agency LPN falsified her reports. And another resident who for some reason is allowed to come and go as he pleases as per his doctor, appears to be bringing in booze and drugs and is getting loaded, high or both. 

In a recent report to NorCo Council, Exec Tara Zrinski claimed that the root cause of all these issues occurred because the county was too lax about who it admitted. She said all that changed when Michelle Morton came aboard as Administrator. 

Zrinski is wrong. The resident who took a powder (he's called Resident 1) was first admitted to Gracedale in December 2025. At that time, Michelle Morton had already been administrator for nine months. 

On May 13, Resident 1 decided to wander off  at around 5 pm. Though two CNAs noticed that Resident 1 was missing and reported this to an agency LPN responsible for this resident. She did nothing to alert anyone that he was missing. She instead documented that she had given him prescribed medications, even though he was not there. She also reported bogus blood glucose levels and then scratched them out, falsely claiming that he had declined the test. 

In the meantime, Resident 1 had somehow made it from Gracedale to outside of Nazareth's police station, about 1.5 miles away. A police officer noticed him milling about around 10 pm and called facility to see if anyone was missing. 

Once again, Gracedale allowed a resident to just walk off. What's worse, an agency LPN falsely documented that he had received prescribed medications and falsely reported blood glucose levels. 

Resident 2 was admitted to Gracedale before Michelle Morton's time, and I have to wonder why on earth he was admitted. He had a history of drug and alcohol abuse."I am a biker," he told one nurse. That's what we do; we drink, smoke, play pool, and party." He also had a habit of pocketing narcotics provided to him for "pain." For reasons that mystify me, his doctor allowed him to go on "independent leaves of absence," during which he could have been selling those pocketed meds, which include oxycodone. He would return to the facility smelling of booze and would be belligerent and exhibit violent behavior. 

After one of these episodes, a nurse cleaning his room found the following items in a wrapped up blanket: " 12 to 15 marijuana vape cartridges, one bottle of Smirnoff vodka, two 12 ounce (oz) empty bottles of Fireball, one 12 oz empty bottle of Southern Comfort whiskey, a large hunting knife, a wallet with $43.00 and cards, and a container of Resident 2's untaken prescribed medications, which were identified by the pharmacist as six allopurinol 100 mg tablets (prevents and lowers uric acid levels), one atorvastatin 20 mg tablet (used to lower cholesterol), two duloxetine 60 mg capsules (antidepressant), eight gabapentin 400 mg capsules (pain medication), two loratadine 10 mg tablets (allergy medication), 36 melatonin 5 mg tablets (natural sleep aid), one multivitamin tablet, 27 oxycodone 10 mg tablets (opioid), 11 of which were partially dissolved, two ropinirole 1 mg tablets (used to treat restless leg syndrome) , tablet of trazadone 150 mg (antidepressant), two vitamin D3 capsules, one Tylenol 325 mg tablet, and two Tessalon Perles (cough medication). The police confiscated the vape, cartridges, and knife."

This guy is a walking pharmacy! 

He was also caught on one occasion snorting what he said was antifungal powder. 

The DOH concluded that Gracedale failed to prevent Resident 2 from pocketing medications that were administered, returning to the facility intoxicated more than once, and having narcotic medications, illegal marijuana vape cartridges, alcohol, and a weapon in a room shared with other residents. This is an  Immediate Jeopardy situation, meaning that residents are at risk of serious injury, harm, impairment, or death, requiring immediate corrective action.

DOH was responding to one complaint and two reported incidents, which tell me that Gracedale, to its credit, turned itself in. 

Zrinski Posts Her State of County Address

 

Last week, NorCo Exec Tara Zrinski delivered her first "State of the County" address at Bethlehem's Nation Museum of Industrial History. Though unable to attend, I did watch her address on Facebook and wrote about it. Zrinski has also just posted her speech on her Substack, including all the photos she used. 

What I like best among these images is her plan for the Gracedale campus. She plans to convert the existing facility, which crams four residents into a room, into aging-in-place apartments. There would also be a 700-bed skilled nursing facility, medical offices, a dialysis center (Gracedale currently does dialysis in house), a retail center and workforce housing. There appears to be no interference with any of the existing farmland. 

Without question, this is an ambitious project and merits very close scrutiny. But if the county wishes to continue to provide a nursing home, it is necessary. The existing Gracedale facility was built for a different time. While four residents in one room is still permissible, the trend is to reduce occupancy to two. 

The existing facility could easily be converted into apartments for seniors and the disabled who wish to age in place. I could see getting HUD involved and using the Housing Authority to manage this building. 

There are lots of questions to be considered. But this plan is an excellent starting point.