Census. - Gracedale has 688 licensed beds, but census is down. It is currently 540. The nursing home is still accepting new residents, but at a reduced rate.
"It may be time for us to talk about no longer being the largest nursing home in Pa.," said Executive Lamont McClure, acknowledging an argument that Council member John Cusick made about changing the way residents are quartered with three or four to a room. McClure warned, however, that Gracedale is the last refuge for people of limited means.
Covid-19 Impact. - Wandalowski reported on the numbers. She said 218 residents have tested or have been presumed positive for Covid-19, with 73 active cases and 4 hospitalized. She indicated that 78 cases have resolved. She indicated that Gracedale has been fatal for at least 63 residents, but the number might be as high as 67. The coroner lists the nursing home as the residence of the decedent, while hospitals list their address. This results in temporary inconsistencies.
In response to a question from Council President Ron Heckman, McClure stated the state Department of Health mandates that Covid-19 be listed as a cause of death, irrespective of whatever other co-morbidities a resident may have. Thus a resident who suffered a heart attack would still be listed as a Covid-19 death. McClure cautioned, however, that many residents who were positive for Covid-19 died as a result of acute respiratory distress syndrome. This is caused by Covid-19.
Does Gracedale accept resident who test positive for Covid-19? Wandalowski said No, but this is inconsistent with what Stewart-King said at a recent Council meeting. Stewart -King said residents who were hospitalized as a result of Covid-19 would be readmitted after two negative tests.
Among the staff, 48 employees have been infected with Covid-19, but there are currently only three active cases.
Staffing. - There have been massive call-offs as a result of the virus, although the number is decreasing. There were 830 call-offs in March, followed by 960 in April and 760 in May.
Wandalowski explained the reasons for this is varied. An infected employee is required to isolate for 14 days, which would explain much of the problem. Some employees have difficulty finding child care, while others have been fearful. Wandalowski said the county would try to assist staffers in need of child care.
The call-offs have resulted in 38 mandates (mandated overtime) in April and 25 in May. She added that employees have been asked to pick up extra shifts to reduce the number of mandates
Gracedale has continued hiring throughout the pandemic. This year, it has added 6 RNs, 14 LPNs, 35 CNAs and 3 or 4 nursing supervisors.
No Visiting Policy - The nursing home's no visiting policy has been a burden on both residents and family members. Two of them complained at the last County Council meeting, especially since their loved ones were suddenly moved to a different floor.
Wandalowski said she had a lengthy conversation with one or both of these family members. Executive Lamont McClure said he was sorry about the sudden move and wished communication had been better, but said the move was necessary because of insufficient staff.
7 comments:
Serious question: what happens to people of limited means in counties without county-run nursing homes? Have they no refuge like Gracedale? What happens to them? If Lamont is correct, you'd think we'd hear about other counties tossing their elderly to the streets. I don't think that's happening. But I honestly don't know. What do other counties do?
I was asked what happens for people of limited means in counties with no publicly owned nursing home. There are still nursing homes out there that will take you and rely on Medicare and Medicaid. But not many. They might be in another county.
Thanks. There doesn't seem to be a widely reported problem in other counties, Perhaps I'm just not reading about them.
It's a problem. You can still find a nursing home, but not necessarily one that is close to your family. The nursing homes tend to be lower tier. "The lower tier consists of facilities housing mainly Medicaid residents and, as a result, has very limited resources. The nearly 15 percent of U.S. nonhospital-based nursing homes that serve predominantly Medicaid residents have fewer nurses, lower occupancy rates, and more health-related deficiencies. They are more likely to be terminated from the Medicaid/Medicare program, are disproportionately located in the poorest counties, and are more likely to serve African-American residents than are other facilities. The public reporting of quality indicators, intended to improve quality through market mechanisms, may result in driving poor homes out of business and will disproportionately affect nonwhite residents living in poor communities."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2690171/
It's not widely reported bc very few people care.
The old are expendable, ask Cuomo or Wolf.
11:41
Ask Trump!!!!
There are actually many local homes now that take residents with only Medicaid. It is also worth mentioning that gracedale takes residents from out of county so perhaps for now the bed reduction will not effect Northampton s most in need. In fact in order to fill beds they take many who put the lives of other residents at risk as they do admit residents that would be better served in a different setting, those with severe behavioral issues that could find placement however that placement may be far away as noted. So the residents of Northampton county will still get a bed at gracedale as has occurred in Lehigh county. Hope this is helpful.
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