On May 5, Northampton County Council tabled Executive Lamont McClure's $15.5 million plan to turn things around at Gracedale. Although all Council members generally supported the idea of investing in the county's embattled nursing home, they wanted more detail. They got it last night.
The $15.5 million is part of about $30 million that NorCo will receive this month from the American Rescue Plan Act, enacted by Congress in response to the pandemic.
McClure's original plan called for the following: $2.5 million for nursing agencies to supply manpower; $2 million to build an on-site Daycare for Gracedale staff at no cost to them; $5 million for bonuses paid to keep and recruit staff over a two-year window; $1 million for capital projects; and $5 million to replace revenue lost as a result of the reduced census.
Bonuses - $5 million
In response to Council's concerns, McClure dropped his proposal to set aside $5 million to replace lost revenue. He has instead added that money to extend the bonuses proposed to keep and recruit staff for four-years instead of two years. Every person hired or working at Gracedale, from Housekeeping to Administrator, will be entitled to a $2,500 annual bonus paid annually over four years.
"If you're a CNA [certified nurse's aid] within the sound of my voice, it would be a really good time to come to Gracedale," he said, and repeated it several times.
With the exception of member John Brown, County Council was generally supportive. Council member John Cusick initially suggested that the bonuses be limited to those workers who work directly with residents. But he was swayed by McClure's argument that all workers are "absolutely critical." He was the Council member to move the bonuses for consideration by the board tonight.
Brown complained that, despite multiple requests, the administration has failed to provide him with a breakdown of the workers employed at Gracedale. he observed that the county has offered similar incentives in the past, to no avail. He said the county "was throwing money at something, and then you're going to make it up as you go along, but I don't see that as functionally being a plan."
Brown's dig brought McClure to his feet. He turned the tables on Brown, and the two sparred.
"What's your plan? What would you do with the $10,000," he asked. "We're all ears."
- "I would have to have more information to be able to take a look at that."
"What information would you need, Mr.Brown? You had my job for four years. What information would you need, sir? I understand you're opposed to the efficient and long-term success of Gracedale, but you said we don't have a plan. What's yours?
- "No I did not say that I'm opposed to the long-term and efficient plan, again, I don't have enough detail to move this forward. ... I don't even know how many full-time employees we currently have. And what is the long-term impact? And if you do provide this and you're able to begin ro sustain some recruitment or retention overall, what does that do to Gracedale's budget and how are you going to make up the revenue then to maintain this going forward once this goes away? ... ."
"Well clearly we would not be able to offer $10,000 bonuses forever. This is an emergency measure to deal with an emergency. We need to be able to hire, we need to be able to get people in the door. There is a very good plan top get people in the door. There is a marketing plan. And the best piece of that marketing plan is this $10,000.
McClure went on to say that "questioning the plan to death" will only further endanger the home. "Not allowing us to do this is setting us up to fail."
-"The reality of this, Mr. McClure is that the home is failing, has been failing for an extended period of time. ... You're not addressing the management issues that I feel are part of the problem. ... ." Brown added that Gracedale employees are the ones telling him that management is the real issue.
"My suspicion is there'll never be enough detail for you," continued McClure.
Unfortunately, just as things were getting good and I thought Steve Lynch might pop in with boxing gloves and challenge everyone to a duel, Council President Lori Vargo Heffner gave them both a time out. "I don't think anyone up here needs or wants the antagonism."
Speak for yourself, Heffner!
"Why the rush?" she asked McClure. He likened Gracedale to a tanker (hopefully not The Titanic) ) that needs a lot of time to turn around. "If we don't start now, we won't turn it around."
Tara Zrinski said these bonuses will be a Godsend, not just to Gracedale staffers, but to "vulnerable people" who have nowhere else to go.
"Tara hit the nail on the head as far as I'm concerned," added Kerry Myers. But he said that as soon as he leaves, he'll be getting calls from other county workers asking, "What about us?"
McClure later explained that he hopes the hiring and retention bonuses will yield 54-60 nursing staff, and at that point Gracedale will be able to provide the required 2.7 hours of daily nursing care per resident.
Capital Projects - $1 million
Council members Lori Varho Heffner and Ron Heckman both noted this money is needed for converting four-resident rooms to two-resident rooms. This is currently under consideration by the federal government. "I think we're going to end up needing more money," noted Heckman. Administrator Jennifer Stewart-King said that the majority of rooms at Gracedale (about 300) are for four residents.
Council member John Goffredo said that the bonus money is a "no-brainer," but he has reservations about how much money is needed to change the occupancy of 300 rooms.
McClure then stated that, if the room occupancy is reduced, the county will have to decide whether the home can even continue. If it does, the county will probably need to borrow.
Council will vote on this tonight.
Nursing agency staffing - $2.5 million
Because of staffing shortages, Gracedale brings in outside nursing agencies to provide staff. The hourly rate paid for agency nurses is much higher than what is paid to workers.
Council member John Cusick had a problem with using these agencies. "If we were paying substitute teachers more than we pay our regular teachers, I would probably quit and become a substitute. We're almost incentivizing it by paying it. This is one I'm gonna' be a No on."
McClure said he feels the way Cusick does, "but I can't get to the numbers I need without it." Administrator Jennifer Stewart-King noted that the higher salary is paid to the agency, not the nurse. She indicates she's been able to recruit few agency nurses who are looking for homes.
Daycare - $2 million
McClure presented detailed plans to Council. "If it's done right, I think it could be great, said Council member John Goffredo. "Some of the staff would like it tomorrow," said Jennifer-Stewart King. The daycare could be operational by year's end.
It will start out for Gracedale workers only, but it could be extended to others. The total cost of construction might be as low as $200,000. It will be located next to the chapel,and there will be interaction between residents and children.
Lori Vargo Heffner indicated she'd like to wait until June 2 to take action on the plan.
"This is the single biggest piece of the recruiting puzzle,: said McClure.
Heckman said his concern is that this will be a continuing cost.
29 comments:
So, someone informed me that Tara Zrinski is telling he supporters that she introduced the daycare idea to council. I suspect that is another one of her exaggerations meant for her followers. Even for a politician, this person is as thirsty as they come.
The first step to resolving and settling this issue is a "PAY STUDY" that shows what wages are being paid to Nursing employees in the Valley and what is being paid to Gracedale Staff. How can Council make a decision without being able to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. McClure is being bone headed on the pay study and until one is done, Council should not bend on okaying his plan. We are not being paid wages comparable to other facilities of our kind and a quick fix is okay but you must meet the demand of the industry when it comes to wages.
Brown ran a better Gracedale. McClure has run Gracedale into the ground and presided over the worst LTCF pandemic performance in the state (and one of the worst in the US). It's a hard pill for Democratic Party members to swallow. A recently deceased, and instantly canonized Democratic executive saint was the one WHO FOUGHT TO SELL THE PLACE. A viciously hated Republican ran the place better. A lot better. McClure is a dodging lawyer who has never accepted responsibility for a single one of his many mistakes. Brown should simply have responded, "Well, Lamont, first off: I'd try not to kill so many of our precious elderly through indecision, indifference, and party loyalty during a global pandemic, instead of focusing on closing sliding boards and public parks and not holding public meetings because your technology is shit and you couldn't it - either."
Not a big fan of Brown but those questions he asked are legit. I am starting to get a bad feeling about how much money this is really going to cost. McClure seems to be very thinned skinned when challenged, that’s not leadership.
McClueless is a loser. Brown was right questioning him on the details. McClueless seems to make it up as he goes along. He is trying to bulldoze it through without providing details. He still didn't provide enough details last night. We continue to see the bully McClueless is and what the employees are dealing with. Until current Gracedale Administration AND County Administration are gone, there will continue to be a problem at Gracedale AND the government center! The employees are the County's greatest asset. The ADMINISTRATION is NOT!
Who is going to pay for the daycare -- TAXPAYERS!!!! Only Gracedale employees are entitled to use it. Once again employees are not treated fairly across the County. ADMINISTRATION at the COUNTY and GRACEDALE need to be GONE!
Does Council know that the good ole G houses a sex offender? How is that going to work? Inquiring minds would like to know. Interesting how LaMont leaves that detail out.
This is not a plan and is no different than previous meeting request. They can downsize to two bed rooms and lower census with restructuring and they must to make it work. A day care looses money so that will cost taxpayers. And one can't be in the building with sex offenders. Brown does know the running of Gracedale and he is right to not spend a dime until a comprehensive plan is proposed and a ballot question if the taxpayers approve of a plan
Once again he is going to throw money at it. Lamont and chuckie talk out of both sides of thier mouths. One minute saying they care about their employees and the next he screws them over. Bernie ask little mister bow tie about how they are screwing with county employees with FMLA. But only certain employees. Gracedale and jail.
Do the COs that get mandated get a daycare for their families ???
He says he wants to help employees then hits them with more hardships.
I run a private day care center in the county. MY county taxes are going to be used to pay for services that are in competition with mine. I lose customers and pay for the subsidy of those services by the county. Unfair! Instead, provide Gracedale employees with small children reimbursement for their child care costs as a benefit. The county should not be running a competitive business. That includes a nursing home. Another reason to sell Gracedale!
"I run a private day care center in the county. MY county taxes are going to be used to pay for services that are in competition with mine. " It will be a private daycare.
" Tara Zrinski is telling he supporters that she introduced the daycare idea to council."
This suggestion came from a nursing home expert that Council brought in several months ago.
McClure's solution for a county that can't be competitive in the nursing home business: let's get into the daycare business!
Check back to this blog for more McClure proposals to take on more tasks that will be done more poorly than those already undertaken.
"The first step to resolving and settling this issue is a "PAY STUDY" that shows what wages are being paid to Nursing employees in the Valley and what is being paid to Gracedale Staff. How can Council make a decision without being able to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. "
I'll agree it is certainly a step and needs to be done. I'm aware of two of them at the courthouse, and they were quite controversial. But we've gone so long without one that it's hard for me to imagine that anyone is overpaid.
" Bernie ask little mister bow tie about how they are screwing with county employees with FMLA. But only certain employees. Gracedale and jail."
There has been significant FMLA abuse at Gracedale. This has been noted at several meetings. I am unaware of any FMLA abuse at the jail.
"Only Gracedale employees are entitled to use it. Once again employees are not treated fairly across the County."
Based on my own questions, I believe the plan is to start at Gracedale. It will then be expanded to all 24/7 employees and ultimately, to all employees.
It will cost county tax dollars.
Lori can easily get 5 votes for the daycare. She won't. If she tables again, delays or does not pass this tonight she will be tagged with being against childcare. That will go over big with Democratic Women!
John Brown needs to just shut his mouth on Gracedale. Monty has the goods on him when it comes to the home and that is a grenade he can't throw far enough away.
Brown was a loser and goof when he ran Bangor and is an even bigger goof on the county council. How did the voters elect such a slug?
John Brown needs to go back and to Bangor. Oh that is right they do not want him back there either. John Brown needs to go back selling used cars instead of trying to impress everyone with his incompetence in government. He is just a GOOF
Council member John Goffredo said that the bonus money is a "no-brainer..."
Truer words have never been spoken, because you'd have to have no brain to vote for this idiotic plan.
Let's do some simple math. Let's say a full-time employee works 40 hours a week for 52 weeks. That's 2,080 hours in a year. The annual bonus is $2,500. That "bonus" equates to $1.20 per hour. Is an extra $1.20 per hour going to bring a flood of employees to Gracedale? I don't think so, and McClure is insane if he thinks it will make CNA's rush to Gracedale.
On top of that, even if the bonuses would start prying employees away from other employers, those employers - including the outside agencies providing nursing staff to the county - are going to offer wage increases to their employees to keep them there. And they'll be able to do that quickly without public debate and letting everyone else in the industry know what they're going to do before it happens.
That's the problem with a government-run facility. They'll always be a step - or many steps - behind the competition. It's a game they can't win.
As to McClure's statement that Gracedale is like a tanker that will take a lot of time to turn around, he's unfortunately right. But he's kidding himself or outright lying if he thinks this is going to solve the problem. Even if council approves everything today, government will still be much slower than the competition. So by the time McClure makes the slow turn with this proposal, other homes he's competing with will have quickly reacted and made whatever steps were taken at Gracedale irrelevant. The competition will have already made whatever small (for them) course corrections were needed, and Gracedale will then be waiting for approval of the NEXT slow turn "solution" being debated by council and the administration.
The competition is nimble and Gracedale is slow and lumbering. Gracedale can't win and in many ways it's a rigged game because their competition isn't bound by the same rules that the county is. That's what happens when government tries to compete in an area better served by private companies, and it's an ongoing disservice to the residents of Gracedale.
If you want to do what's best for residents and best for taxpayers, let Gracedale go and stop the bleeding for all.
One other point:
If Brown doesn't know how many full-time employees are there, that means that the rest of council doesn't know either or they would have chimed in and given him that info.
That's appalling, and no plan should be considered by council until they have basic, simple numbers like that from the administration.
More frightening is that McClure wasn't able to quickly provide that information from the podium. It should be at his fingertips, as should be information about how quickly his bonus "plan" will attract new employees.
Surely he's analyzed how quickly those 54-60 nursing employees (that he "hopes" will come as a result of the hiring and retention bonuses) will come on board and has those predicted employee hires broken down at least by month over the next year, right? And he's provided it to council, right?
Otherwise what the hell is Council considering? Just a random, undeveloped idea that McClure farted out of his mouth?
How would council or anyone else be able to monitor progress and evaluate whether the "plan" was working? Or is that the point?
So how does it work?? Punish everyone for the actions of some?? When it comes to FMLA ??? And they wounder why good employees leave. What a great idea!!!
Plus look at Lamont, your not getting anything till you sign a new contract. He said about gracedale
which he will stick it too the employees. Lamont just gets up there and flat out lies to the public and tax payers
Waste of money if you ask me...its like throwing crap at a leaky pipe and hoping it will clog the leak.
Lot of good points being made on here regarding this issue. I also found it curious that McClure didn’t have the employee count available given the subject he was presenting on.
So taxpayers have to pay for other people's daycare of their children and pay for their own child's daycare. SO WRONG! I hope County Council reads these comments. If they don't do something about standing up to the Administration, the people that elected them will elect them out. Get some b---s and say NO to McClure! Do a pay study and pay hardworking employees what they should get paid!
Luv it!! In the Red corner, the Pompous Ass-John Brown and in the blue corner, the Arrogant Bully-Lamont McClure.
They must be in competition with the C.O.B.
It’s time to have community day care services from the government since businesses refuse to pay for this benefit. It’s time to have monies collected from taxes from businesses for this incentive. I would call it a humanitarian fund since our children suffer from lack of nutrition, proper daycare that meets standards, and is properly monitored with the children health and education in mind. This service would be for all children ages 6 months til elementary school. Let’s get this done.
"Let's do some simple math. Let's say a full-time employee works 40 hours a week for 52 weeks. That's 2,080 hours in a year. The annual bonus is $2,500. That "bonus" equates to $1.20 per hour. Is an extra $1.20 per hour going to bring a flood of employees to Gracedale? I don't think so, and McClure is insane if he thinks it will make CNA's rush to Gracedale."
This right here. Mclure saying how great of a time it is to work at Gracedale. How fucking out of touch is he!?!? Competitors are offering $20k in the first year! Warehouses are offering more for a sign on bonus! This is a pathetic incentive that is going to motivate exactly zero people to consider working there. It's actually pretty insulting that he thinks this is an attractive bonus. My question is: did they even talk to a single employee before coming up with this hair-brained "plan"? Knowing them I would take a hefty bet that the answer is no. ALSO - Cedarbrook has already moved forward with the two bed plan, because it is inevitable. Mclure has made such a fucking mess of Gracedale, there's no way to dig him self out. Why don't you ask him about the federal money he just applied for to Susan Wild's office - it says on her website he's getting $1.6M for "repairs to Gracedale" how come he hasn't mentioned that to council????
Best comment I’ve read today
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