I took NorCo Council to task yesterday for scheduling a meeting with nothing on the agenda, not even a discussion of a negative survey about Gracedale. I decided to skip. I had no desire to attend a meeting in which all Council members do is blow their own horns and then go home. Guess what? Council suddenly reversed course and decided, after all, to make that health inspection the focus of last night's meeting. This report is based on the videoExecutive Lamont McClure started by saying he regrets not having fired Premier, the nursing home's administrator, last year. Premier was still Gracedale's manager at the time of a health inspection that resulted in 11 deficiencies.
Saying he was "very disappointed," McClure pointed to several other nursing homes run by Premier with "below average" ratings. He noted that five of the 11 deficiencies are directly related to the system used by Premier to direct nursing home care. To make matters worse, he said that Premier's expert at the home had basically checked out in April. "Not only were we poorly managed, we weren't managed at all."
Human Services Director Sue Wandalowski stressed that the county takes each of the 11 deficiencies seriously, and corrective actions are in place. Jennifer D. Stewart-King, the county's own nursing home administrator, echoed Wandalowski. She said her team "by no means takes this lightly." She noted the inspection process became more rigorous as a result of complaints from state auditor general Eugene DePasquale. State inspectors were at Gracedale for four days, talking to everyone. They also watched residents at mealtime, and check the medications administered to 70 of them.
She went over each of the 11 deficiencies (you can read them here) and how they are being addressed.
Stewart-King said that immediate education and audits at every shift are being done. "We do what needs to be done to make sure this doesn't happen again." Both Wandalowski and Stewart-King stresses a need for electronic health records. Stewart-King said the paperwork is "overwhelming"
Wandalowski agrees there "needs to be more in-person training." She pointed to health education software being implemented, but still six months away.
"Do whatever you have to do, lean on whoever you need to lean on, push whoever you need to push, but let's get this system going," urged Council President Ron Heckman.
"We were lied to, said Councilman Bob Werner, referring to the private administrator."We finally got into the black and now we find out we have some problems again."
He asked specifically about the wound care team, only to learn that one resident has six pressure wounds.
"Please, let's fix something here," he said with some exasperation.
Despite the concerns expressed by everyone else, two people attempted to minimize the negative survey. Unfortunately, one of them - Lori Vargo Heffner - chairs the Human Services. Just as unfortunately the other - Brian Dunlap - is Gracedale's administrator in training.
"Comparatively, it was good," said Heffner. She wants to chair a meeting in which administrators will "tell us what you did well, too. Let's not just focus on the deficiencies."
Brian Dunlap, an accountant, played math games. He presented a spreadsheet of 15 nursing homes and contends that Gracedale would only have one deficiency if it were smaller. This argument is based on the fallacy that deficiencies are somehow related to number of residents.
37 comments:
Glad they had the meeting.
Nothing will be done. They only discussed it because they were shamed into doing so. This council is more worried about paying back political cronies than improving the horrible situation at Gracedale. They hate the elderly.
Sorry, the incidents with the residents should never had happened. The people providing the direct care should have been fired, lost licenses and probably should have had criminal charges pressed on some of them. Why wasn't the D.A. informed by local Area agency on Aging. This can't be blamed all on previous managing company. Where were the RNs and nursing supervisors. Talk, talk, talk.
Plenty of blame to go around..get to work and make it right. Peoples health and well being at stake here. Most of the residents have lost everything and find themselves at the mercy of the county. Do the right thing!
Union workers care about two things- pay and benefits. Not patient care or customer service. Gracedale should have been sold.
My Daughter is a CNA and a very good one.She knows how patients should be cared for and does her job.I usually post using my own name but to protect her privacy I won't.She worked at Gracedale for one week and quit
She worked 11 to 7 and had 30 patients to care for which is way too many to properly care for.So what does this tell you????
Anonymous @ February 8, 2019 at 6:16 AM
"They hate the elderly."
I don't believe "they" 'hate" the elderly. Hate is thrown around in today's discourse much too readily. Hate is a strong word and should not be used lightly.
Were you with Ozzy Osbourne when he was thrown out the Hotel Bethlehem ?.
I am glad they had the meeting. if Hefner is covering for anyone that is sad. I watched that part of the video and it was clear that most of council wanted to get this fixed now. Sometimes you have to kick butt in order for people to get the word.
I agree. Council was pretty clear that it is fully committed to doing what is needed.
Lean on who you have to lean on and push who you have to push?
Is Heckman trying out for the new Tony Soprano movie? Jesus!!
How does he and them propose we pay for all of this. They should have been upfront before the election on their love of Gracedale and what it costs the taxpayers.
government does it again
Put a wall around gracedale and don't let the commentors in, ostersized from all old folks homes. This is except the ones that they will be able to lay in there own excretment til the bed sores take over there entire body.
Bernie are you responsible for this being on the agenda? Do they take orders from you. Good Job.
Council was only "committed" to even discuss the matter after they were publicly shamed. They took care of their cronies under the new regime and thought they'd blow the night off ... until they were shamed. They take care of their friends first, while they ignore the county's most vulnerable. Then, after being shamed into talking about (only talking, mind you), the crony-loving exec hurls a shit ton of excuses. Bad government by bad people. Where's the plastic straw asshole when old people really need her? She probably thinks it's more environmentally sound to chop off the ice floe and let old people die for the good of the future. This is our county council.
They have been harvesting old folks body parts from the local black market. We can see from the media depicting all the wrinkles of dehydrated skin graph's judging from polowskys face at the SOTU speech by the POTUS this week. She looked as though it was a living breathing dead famous circus conductor.
Hey we contracted Premier to handle Gracedale. No reason for oversight. Hope we don't do this with other contracted services.
This is less of a deal than some are making. People expect government run-homes to be a step short of Treblinka. Gracedale doesn't disappoint. It's government-issue elderly care for people with no dough. Ask any veteran about the expected quality of government-issue. Save your bread if you don't want to be sentenced to Gracedale. This is widely known and discussed and anyone who denies it is lying.
Bernie are you going to the plastic straw lady's, woman's art auction fundraiser for her future "campaigns"? She is not even a candidate and she is having a fundraiser the end of the month for herself to fund the offices she seeks in the future.
Who cares about sick old people when the ladies of the blue wave have political futures to think about.
if the dems have their way after their baby killing who knows what they will do to the old people
Doesn't council have their own Human Services overseer?
That is Lori Vargo Heffner
Bernie, did any on else out there notice planned perant hood and davinci have a infant harvesting interest conjoined!
2.33
"People expect government run-homes to be a step short of Treblinka. Gracedale doesn't disappoint."
clearly you know nothing of both places.
The easiest way to end up neck deep in shit is to treat a resident at Gracedale badly.
Talk to the residents and educate yourself.
Or keep grinding that grudge
4:00, I am sick and tired of your tribalism. Expect to be deleted. Your comments add nothing
Anyone know where the Mediterranean Manslab has been, my buddy Spartan just got paroled and would like to repay Gregarious for all the kindness.
Brian and Lori clearly have no idea about nursing home management or how serious these deficiencies actually are for Gracedale. Hire an experienced administrator from outside of the county and allow he or she to manage without interference. Gracedale is in trouble and it’s the residents who suffer as a result of poor management.
Miss Hefner is not doing a very good job. How did she not get on this sooner? Is she the expert on Human Services on council?
It is the "experienced administrator from outside the county" that caused the problem, according to McClure, the Director of Nursing and the current interim administrator. What they tell council is that Premier used an "archaic" records system that resulted in mssive paperwork and prevents staff from doing their job. They believe things will improve with electronic records as well as online training. In fairness, I should note that Premiere was not at this meeting.
She certainly thinks she is, though she has no training. When she and an accountant being groomed to become administrator attempt to downplay the significance of a negative survey, they demonstrate an unwillingness to make the changes that might very well be needed. In fact, Heffner wanted to delay this meeting so her committee could handle it. She is an obvious control freak.
Not all administrators are part of a management company such as Premier. This does not appear to be an electronic record issue but rather a staffing issue and a hands on care issue. It hardly has been a secret either so I’m surprised that everyone on “council “ is “surprised “.
The fix will not happen overnight as it appears many would suggest it will.
Who controlled the budget in 2018? County Administration
Who controlled hiring in 2018? County Administration
Who hired the new DON 6 months ago? County Administration
Who chose to keep the electronic health system for 4 years? County Administration.
Who is ultimately responsible for Gracedale? County Administration
Seems like others should have been fired if it's that bad.
Hefner is vp of country council? She is head of the Human Services? Is she that competent or does she just like titles. Maybe she should learn more and talk less. Didn't she mock the courts for a job she knew nothing about? She sounds like a mean girl.
So, I think it is time to sell Gracedale to someone who has the experience and money to do right by these patients. It’s obvious that the county does not have the finances or knowledge to care for these elderly patients. it is always one excuse after another and nothing ever gets resolved. It is down right shameful when you read something like this and think it is acceptable. Save the tax payers money and sell it to someone that will care for these patient like they deserve.
Bernie, please do a more detail story about Gracedale and the county government. Who is real and who is grandstanding.
Do not blame Gracedale or its employees because Hefner is a tool of the bosses. She wants a job and is a puppet for the Admisntration. We will make things right.
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