I've written three times about last week's Gracedale's Oversight Committee meeting. Continuum of Care Director Tom Carson has told NorCo Council established that an operational assessment they obtained in 2023 has been largely ignored by a former county executive who opposed it. We learned that the county's CNA training program was actually stopped by the state Department of Health. We also discovered that Gracedale, currently operating with a provisional II license, had two G-level deficiencies (actual harm) in September and failed to inform County Council. Most astonishingly, the very matter that led to an investigating grand jury had still been unresolved. There still is no formal protocol between Upper Nazareth police and Gracedale on 911 calls despite several attempts by the police to establish one. I'll finish my reporting about this meeting with some of the facts presented by Administrator Michelle Morton.
Employment Hires & Separations. - From January through August, Gracedale had 78 new hires, but lost 59.
Open AFSCME positions (incorrectly spelled as AFCME) in Morton's report - In Dining, there are 43 positions, of which 23 are staffed. In Housekeeping, there are 54 staffed positions, of which 16 are open. In nursing there are openings for 319 CNAs, with only 69 positions staffed. There are 51 LPN positions staffed, with another 134 unfilled.
Why did Executive Tara Zrinski raise the salaries of front-line workers before the nursing supervisors. She said the union actually asked her to raise the wages of nursing supervisors first. She added that the large number of open positions "will get better if you throw money at it."
There are many dedicated employees, including 11 people with 30-35 years at the home.
What about RNs? Morton failed to provide that information.
Admissions. - Gracedale has had only 48 admissions this year through July. Over that same period, 56 residents have left. Average daily census dropped from 493 in January to 463 in August.
Finances - Gracedale is projected to lose about $2.3 million in 2026 according to one slide, but in another the loss is about $1 million.
It’s becoming more and more obvious, and painful, that the administration and management are failing Gracedale. It’s well overdo, for the boys and girls on council, and the executive in denial, to bring in a professional nursing home management rescue team, suspend/remove Morton and the inexperienced Carson committee head, and face the fact that they alone, with all their inept data gathering and lack of experience cannot address what Gracedale needs to survive. Time is running out.
ReplyDeleteIf Michele Morton and her administration were given a chance to address each and every issue instead of piling and piling more, how can things change? With constant ridicule published everywhere, why would anyone want to give Gracedale a chance for employment? In fact, Gracedale is a great place to work! The bombardment that is continuously thrown at a woman who cares and tries so hard to make things right is unfair. The problems at Gracedale have been there way before Michele Morton stepped in and they will continue long after she is gone if you don't allow time for change with each issue instead of ripping Gracedale and its administration down!!!
DeleteAlso, she spelled AFSCME wrong in her paperwork, BIG DEAL!! This just proves the petty BS that is taken to the next level! There are those who have an agenda to destroy Gracedale with a smile while making themselves look like they actually care! Everything gets done with due process. BACK OFF and let things that need change, be changed!
If the projected deficit for 2026 is $2.3 million, why does Taxin Tara want a $12 million contribution for 2027? How much could the county save if food service, laundry, and housekeeping were put out to bid?
ReplyDeleteLike agency nursing? That's what got us into this mess.
DeleteAnd parks dept.
DeleteIf your coverage of what’s going on and the lack of real oversight isn’t proof that Gracedale should be sold, I don’t know what is.
ReplyDeleteEven under the best of circumstances, council will meet twice a month to briefly discuss the issues at the home, study them, make a decision, and then hold two public meetings over a month’s time to be able to put any decision into action.
That’s the ideal situation and doesn’t factor in problems being hidden from council (and the public) by the Administration, the hiring process for outside consultants, the time needed to study the problems, document the problems, issue reports with potential solutions, etc.
Meanwhile, private homes are meeting all day for issues that face them, and implementing any decisions they make immediately.
County nursing homes are a relic from the 1800’s. They operate today in a changed marketplace where they are clearly at a competitive disadvantage.
County Council does not manage Gracedale. They are the equivalent of a board of directors in the private sector. They set policy. If they see it isn't followed or that the person they put in charge isn't up to the task, they hire a new CEO. Unfortunatelty, the Exec often prevents the governing body from governing.
DeleteTalk about a cheapening of human life. It's becoming apparent that Lamont McClure was the single worst executive in county history. Before his tenure, he was a horrible and disinterested no-show council member. Is it time for an independent investigator to look into his neglect and the neglect that followed him into the current disinterested (three months!) administration. Gracedale predates them and will survive them. In the interim, what can be done to protect our elderly from these harmful politicians. It's time for people to go to jail for what they've done (or not done). I'm certain McClure grew to hate our elderly and any discussion of them. He should pay by spending the rest of his retirement in jail. Pawlowski went to prison for less.
ReplyDeleteI’m not convinced Gracedale will survive and it should not survive in its present form. It would be best if the decisions about Gracedale are no longer the decisions of the present Gracedale administration and county executive.
DeleteMcClure is starting to look worse than Brown! And you're right, he was a lazy, arrogant, & useless Council member- like 3/4 of the present Council.
DeleteI sure wouldn't want to be on a ship that either Morton or TZ was sailing.
ReplyDeleteBless the 11
ReplyDeleteMorton couldn't lead ants to a picnic
ReplyDelete1 million? 2.3 million? It’s like they just pull numbers out of their ass. What a disaster. Just throw money at it Tara! Except it’s OUR MONEY, not yours.
ReplyDeleteThen why does she have 12 millions budgeted for Gracedale in 2027 ?
ReplyDeleteAt the Oversight Committee meeting a council member asked how many RNs are needed per day. The question was never answered. Shouldn’t Michelle Morton know that answer in an instant? How many units are opened? Do you need 1 RN on each unit x 3 shifts? Does an RN cover 2 floors on 3-11 shift and/or 11-7 shift? And so on for LPNs & CNAs?? Does staffing change by census? These #s should be the foundation of staffing. THE DON WAS AT THE MEETING AND DIDN’T KNOW! WAS SUE WADALEWSKI THERE? She should know that answer. Tom should know that answer. The 2 ADONs should know! Why are there 2 ADONs anyway? Why are there 2 housekeeping supervisors? Do they really need a business office manager? That should all be managed by the accountant. Who do all these departments answer to? Nobody knows!
ReplyDeleteCNAs and LPNs got a big raise after the Affinity report. The bottom Step was lopped off and two new Steps were added to the top, so that the starting rate would be higher and there was more room for advancement at the top. AFSCME agreed and County Council passed it. John Brown was the only opposition to it.
ReplyDeleteThis is untrue. As an employee at that time, they increased the starting wage, implemented wage increases based on experience, again only for new hires. Employees w 5 OR 10 years received an increase. If you had 6 yrs or 8 yrs or 12 yrs or 25 yrs (you get the idea) you got ZERO. Yes, employees complained to both Admin and the Union only to be laughed at...a common theme for years at Gdale.
DeleteJust throw $ at it underscores the incompetence of Zrinski..
ReplyDeleteTara attended the retirees luncheon and informed them that everyone is pulling at her budget needing funding and she can't make any promise to retirees that they will be given a cost of living increase. It's not in the budget. That's not what she promised us in the spring. She said she would try to help us. Thanks Tara
ReplyDeleteTZ is only good at two things: incompetent leadership/ management skills and obvious misrepresentation of the truth/reality.
DeleteTara the tax girl seems to have made a lot of promises she can’t keep.
DeleteThe pension fund does not work that way. A COLA today has nothing to do with the Budget. A COLA for retirees would not be accounted for in the Budget. Sounds like she was trying to scare seniors into supporting her 44% tax increase.
DeleteCOLA raises are not a budget item. County contributions to the fund are. Not sure how she can confuse the two items except that she has no idea of what is going on.
DeleteSomeone please offer her a buyout option to leave office.
Someone was supposed to be at the luncheon to explain to us how the COLA'S come about and how they are funded. That's what they said in the newsletter. Tara wasn't honest with us.
DeleteWhat did Tara promise? How has she broken her word?
DeleteAt the Spring luncheon she described a plan over 3 years to catch up on the COLAS. Remember, Tara, when most of the retirees went to grade school, they actually were taught math and some of us actually take copious notes when politicians speak. She also extended Gracedale facilities to house our twice-yearly meetings. Jerry S. at the spring luncheon was effusive in his praise. He was absent from the most recent fall luncheon because of a fall. I am not sure even he could have put a spin on this debacle.
DeleteThis administration lies to council. Not 1 in administration had the respect or care to notify council about the 3 G tags. They should all be fired. Those that hold RN licenses should be reported to the board. Ethics doesn’t exist at Gracedale. Maybe charges need to be brought to open eyes.
ReplyDeleteWhen we people understand. The department heads dont control what and when or how council is made aware. Thats on the county executive. Nothing new here
DeleteActual Agency spending is way down from just 2 years ago. The reason is Morton used a third Agency Tallamasca to get rid of the two high priced agencies. She did this last year. It’s working. Here’s the question: why won’t they say so ?
ReplyDeleteBecause nothing changed except the way they count the hours.
DeleteIt's a toss up of who is more incompetent- Zrinski or Morton!
ReplyDeleteOne thing that does sound correct is AFSME not taking care of it's dues paying members. Worried about non union employees before it's members!!! OMG
ReplyDeleteJim, Irwin and Lynette Pound need to go. They are more worried about who’s in a political office than their own AFSCME union members.
DeleteJim was the laziest housekeeper ever. Only cares about himself. Remember when Brown took paid lunch away from AFSCME. Jim told everyone to file FMLA for anxiety and call out sick. That opened a can of worms for HR. They had to change pay policies.
DeleteCan the unions be disbanded? Stop paying dues. What does the union do for us? It pays Jim and Lynette’s salaries. And protects employees that should be fired.
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ReplyDeleteI found Tara's response to an attendee worried about people losing a home because of property taxes increases quite interesting. She responded that no one in Northampton County would lose their home because of unpaid taxes. She said that she was not telling people to not pay taxes. She discounted the fear of unpaid property taxes. She then ended her presentation by telling a joke and left the building. Silence followed her exit. Glad the food I ate was worth the $38 I spend because the comedy act that followed was pitiful. As to the disaster at Gracedale, she has a grand scheme of a mega development with expansion incorporating other senior housing and other complexes and social service programs. Note to Tara: Fix the current problems before any other grand plans.
Glad we didn't stay for the "comedy show".
DeleteThis is further proof that Zrinski is not qualified to be county executive, let alone a dog catcher. (God help the dogs). Everything to the unqualified lunatic is a joke. Just watch every council meeting. She tries to be funny. There is nothing funny trying to run the county. She’s a drama queen and wannabe comedian. She sucks at both and sucks even more as County Executive. But hey, we all hate Trump so just vote Democrat. See where that has gotten you. Oh, and the bully McClure should be locked up for the neglect of Gracedale. Worst County Executive ever!! So full of himself he couldn’t even button his top collar button.
DeleteWhere does this nitwit expect people on fixed incomes who tried to save and live responsibly to just keep coming up with all this money to fix government mismanagement. Then to state people are not losing their homes is incredibly stupid. At least act like you care about your constituents you clueless incompetent.
DeleteWell said! I drive for a living and all I see is vote blue. TZ is the result. When you go to the polls look at every candidate and where they stand on issues that affect your life.
DeleteIt’s not about control and unfortunately that’s what it has come too.
Keep spending our property tax on Gracedale thank the lord for our government people.
ReplyDeleteThe citations from the DOH should be posted by the end of next week. Maybe the NHA & nursing admin should be boxing up their offices! May a few storage boxes should be dropped off for Sue W too!
ReplyDeleteYou do not get a G without resident harm. Disgraceful and Tara makes light of it or walks away in a huff, Note those on the County of Northampton Facebook site who actually had pictures taken with her at Retiree luncheon. They apparently condone her behavior!
DeleteNorthampton county is doomed under the current leadership no matter what Bernie says.
ReplyDeleteWhy can’t Norco run this place? Lehigh doesn’t seem to have the same staffing problem. Is it all about pay? I know Lehigh pays much more than Norco in human services. I know someone was applying the same class position in MH/ID. Lehigh was paying 18k more. How is that possible? Does Lehigh get more state funding? Does Norco use their state funding differently
ReplyDeleteDing ding ding! These are the right questions and exactly what the council should be asking. Answers from DHS and other departments should be made public. The disparity in compensation between the two counties is shameful. Where is the taxpayer money going if not to employees who provide essential services?
DeleteLehigh might pay more hourly, but they deduct more for benefits.
DeleteThis is THE question. If Cedarbrook can run their home without a deficit, why can’t Gracedale? This is not a hard question to answer. Is it the unions? How do the union contracts differ between the two homes? How is Medicaid pending handled? There are solutions, why is Norco not asking these questions, telling us the answers and making the changes?
Delete6:06 - Cedarbrook’s rates have been higher than Gracedale for years. For some positions it is a lot higher. Many Gracedale nursing employees went to Cedarbrook a few years back. Cedarbrook gave up the cna training program almost 10 years ago and still has much less agency than we see at Gracedale. There was a falling out between the two homes years ago for some reason and the 2 don’t really talk at an upper level.
Delete18k more? That $1500 a month more . I highly doubt Lehigh employees pay a tiny fraction of this difference more in payroll deductions for benefits. How is this discrepancy even possible? The counties must be allocating the monies received from the state differently. Where is the Norco money going?
DeleteDo you right thing Judge Dally. Johnny Greene’s Temporary Protection from Abuse has been extended for 3 years. That’s not temporary. Fire the wife beater !
ReplyDeleteHe has NO CHOICE!
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