As I told you on Friday, Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure was harshly rebuked by NorCo Council during its Thursday night meeting. The obloquy was prompted by a Controller's report that less than half of $5 million expressly authorized by Council for retention bonuses had actually been spent for that purpose. The rest of the money was just dumped into Gracedale's general fund (not to be confused with the county's general fund) and was used to pay the home's operating expenses during 2024. McClure believes the money was used to pay overtime to agency nurses (these are not employed by the county) as well as overtime to career service employees. Because there was no line item for the retention bonuses, however, it is impossible to determine precisely how the money was spent. McClure insisted that this all happened without his knowledge, but he is the captain of the ship and he is ultimately responsible. Three Council members told the Exec they don't believe him. It would really help County Council to have someone who actually understands the nursing home culture, and more specifically, what the hell is going on at Gracedale. Fortunately, County Council candidate Dave Holland is such a person.
Holland, a nursing professor, is a former administrator at Gracedale. During his tenure, the home passed its annual state inspection without a single citation. He was part of a third-party team replaced for an in-house administrator.
If we're interested in fixing what is wrong at one of the few remaining county-owned nursing homes, we need Holland on County Council.
