County gets OK to submit application for new nursing home April 9, 2008 By Michael Lamendola (Contact) Gazette Reporter
GLENVILLE — Schenectady County officials say they have received state approval to resubmit an application to build a 200-bed nursing home to replace the aging Glendale Home on Hetcheltown Road. “We have had a dialogue with what the New York state Department of Health is comfortable with,” said County Manager Kathleen Rooney. “They are not approving our new building now; they are giving us permission to provide a revised certificate of need.” The certificate of need is the first step in the state’s review process for new health-care facilties. The state froze accepting new certificates from this area as part of recommendations from the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, also known as the Berger Commission, which became law in January 2007. The county expects to submit its revised certifcate within weeks, Rooney said. She said the proposed facility could cost between $45 million and $50 million to build. The state would provide 85 percent reimbursement for the construction cost, and the county would be responsible for the remainder. Rooney said she plans to seek state grants to offset the local cost. “In discussions with the state, they said they are comfortable with us going to a 200-bed facility. This is a significant finding,” Rooney told county legislators Tuesday night. “Building a new facility makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons.” A new facility would allow the county to obtain higher reimbursement from the state for operations, it would improve the quality of care for residents and it would save the county money, as it has to subsidize the Glendale Home’s operations to the tune of about $7 million annually. Rooney said the new facility, even with debt service, would be less expensive to operate than the Glendale Home. The county is under state mandate to downsize the 360-bed skilled nursing facility to 168 beds. County officials protested the decision, saying it would leave the county with too few nursing home beds to meet anticipated demand. Dr. Brian Gordon, chairman of the county Legislature’s Health Committee, said the state’s reconsideration of the county’s certificate is a positive sign. “It looks favorable that it will happen. I am optimistic we will get to a 200-bed facility,” he said.
SCHENECTADY COUNTY Glendale plan shared with state 200 beds, on-site care proposed BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
Schenectady County has grand plans for low-income residents of Glendale Home — a new 200-bed facility with on-site medical services, possibly linked to community housing for independent seniors. The state Department of Health has to sign off on the concept, involving an extensive review. County officials are pushing ahead with the project. They announced Tuesday night at the county Legislature meeting that they received state approval to submit an application to construct the home to replace the aging Glendale Home on Hetcheltown Road. “In discussions with the state, they said they are comfortable with us going to a 200-bed facility. This is a significant finding,” said County Manager Kathleen Rooney. “They are not approving our new building now; they are giving us permission to provide a revised certificate of need.” Department of Health spokesman Jeffrey Hammond said the state is still negotiating with the county and “no decision has been made” on the final concept. Dr. Brian Gordon, chairman of the county Legislature’s Health Committee, said the state is correct. “We are talking with the state Department of Health to try to obtain 200 beds for the Glendale nursing facility in addition to a provision for senior-level housing on the campus.” Gordon said he envisions a facility that combines senior housing with medical services, and that it would be a model unlike any other in the Capital Region. “Instead of just building a nursing home, we are looking to build a comprehensive senior community. I don’t know of many locals with this type of cutting-edge care.” The certificate of need is the fi rst step in the state’s review process for new health care facilities. Gordon called the state’s action a positive sign. “It looks favorable that it will happen. I am optimistic we will get to a 200-bed facility.” In 2006, the county submitted a certificate of need to build a $42-million, 280-bed nursing home by 2009. But the Berger Commission recommendations quashed that plan. The Berger Commission, more formally known as the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, recommended the county downsize the 360-bed Glendale skilled nursing facility to 168 beds. County officials have protested the decision, saying it would leave the county with too few nursing home beds to meet anticipated demand. The Berger Commission findings became law in January 2007. State Health Department officials said they have little room to maneuver regarding the Berger mandate. The county expects to submit a revised certificate within weeks, Rooney said. The proposed facility could cost between $45 million and $50 million. The state would provide 85 percent reimbursement toward the cost. Rooney said she plans to seek state grants to offset the local cost. “Building a new facility makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons,” she said. A new facility would allow the county to obtain more money from the state for operations; it would improve the quality of care of residents; and it would save the county money, as it has to subsidize Glendale’s operations to the tune of approximately $7 million annually. Rooney said the new facility, even with its debt service, would be less expensive. Rooney did not say where the county would build. Gordon said the county is looking at various sites and that the proposed facility would require a sizeable parcel. The state is also asking the county to create senior housing apartments near Glendale. “The state has asked us as part of the plan to expand other choices for seniors. We will consider working with a community partner to create community housing at Glendale,” Rooney said. She said the senior-citizen population needs community housing, which allows residents to live independently but with assistance from home health aides and other services. The Berger Commission also recommended the closure of 18 hospitals, including Bellevue Woman’s Hospital in Niskayuna, and that Ellis and St. Clare’s consolidate operations. After the announcement, St. Clare’s said it would give up its operating license, which in essence left Ellis as the only acute care hospital in Schenectady County. Ellis is now developing a comprehensive health care plan for the community, which will cover primary care to long-term care.
The county expects to submit its revised certifcate within weeks, Rooney said. She said the proposed facility could cost between $45 million and $50 million to build. The state would provide 85 percent reimbursement for the construction cost, and the county would be responsible for the remainder. Rooney said she plans to seek state grants to offset the local cost.
What are these people thinking? $50M to build? I don't think so. How about a bit more? And what happens when these grants run dry? YUP, you got it...start emptying your pockets. Cause these grants will run dry eventually. Listen, this county can not stretch any more than it already is. And yet these so called government leaders, just keep dumping more and more debt on us.
SELL THE NURSING HOME TO A PRIVATE INVESTOR!!!!
Can everyone see here, how this government body is moving in the direction of a government run county. Well, actually a government run STATE! People better wake up and stand up and take your government back to what our authors of the constitution wrote...for the people, by the people....
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Schenectady County moving ahead with nursing home proposal Tuesday, May 27, 2008 By Michael Lamendola (Contact) Gazette Reporter
SCHENECTADY — Schenectady County is moving ahead with plans to build a new nursing home that could open as early as 2010. The Schenectady County Legislature is scheduled to vote Wednesday on a resolution to send the state Department of Health a request to build a 200-bed skilled nursing facility. The request, called a certificate of need, calls for the county to phase-out beds at Glendale Home over the next three years. The goal is to decertify the 360-bed facility to 200 beds by 2010, or upon completion of a new nursing facility, whichever comes first. Under the proposal, which the state must approve, Glendale will go to 220 beds by Dec. 31, to 210 beds by Dec. 31, 2009, and to 200 beds by Dec. 31, 2010. To achieve the reduction, the county will limit admissions, county officials said. County Legislator Dr. Brian Gordon, D-Niskayuna, chairman of the Legislature’s Health Committee, said the gradual phasedown is essential. “It will enable us to take care of patients there and maintain bed capacity, especially during wintertime,” he said. “The transition period will be tough, but it is a good plan.” A gradual phasedown will also limit county costs to operate Glendale. During the phasedown, the county will continue to receive its current level of reimbursement, which does not fully cover operating expenses. To close the gap, the county provides an annual subsidy to Glendale, which has topped $7 million in recent years. When the new facility goes on line, it will receive enhanced reimbursement from the state, helping the county save millions of dollars, Gordon said. “The scaled reduction is financially prudent for the county. We need to have a certain bed occupancy to maintain a viable institute,” Gordon said. The proposed facility could cost between $45 million and $50 million, county officials said, but the state would reimburse 85 percent of that cost. County Manager Kathleen Rooney said she plans to seek state grants to offset the local cost. The county also plans to explore the creation of senior housing on the Glendale campus or at another location in the community, according to the resolution.
Area around Glendale Home wrong for major county development
The Glendale Nursing Home is unquestionably an asset to our community, but I want to caution the county government not to try to build a new mega adult day care and housing complex on the open lands around the current building at the lower end of Hetcheltown Road in Glenville [May 28 Gazette]. It certainly would be a very lucrative project for some lucky developer, and a massive complex would help alleviate assisted living requirements for the elderly However, open space is rapidly dwindling in Glenville, and Hetcheltown Road already has too much traffic for this quiet corner of town. The fields and woods next to and behind the Glendale Home, which incidentally are adjacent to the Indian Kill Nature Preserve are designated “forever wild.” In my dictionary, “forever” means “always” or at least a very long time, so it would be wrong to change the land use designation. There are hawks, falcons, foxes and many songbirds that are found only in open grasslands that can be seen in this area. It would be a mistake to take this away. JOHN VAN PATTEN Glenville
I would like to applaud all those who made it possible for a new Glendale Nursing and Rehabilitation Center [May 28 Gazette]. Unless you have actually seen the old facility, you wouldn’t know that its condition warranted immediate action. I feel obligated to write this for my father, who passed away last June and unfortunately was a patient at this facility until he passed. This wasn’t our choice for his care; however, we had no option, as this was the only facility that was available, unless you have the salary of Donald Trump. At first glance, the grounds are well kept, and it looks like peaceful. But that is pretty much where it ends. When you enter the facility, you almost feel like you’re entering a 1960s-era psychiatric center. The rooms are unfit for patient care, not to mention some of the caretakers. There were nurses and other staff who were dedicated and well worth the pay they received to provide patient care. It was the other 1 percent that treated my father like he was an animal, as he pretty much said when we visited him. Experiencing Glendale was very depressing for me and my family. It was sad to see the long-term patients and the conditions they were in. Some had World War II-era oxygen tanks in their rooms and beds that looked like they came from the same period. The facility has no air conditioning (at least not in the patient rooms that we saw), bathrooms that are falling apart and a spider web in the corner near the exit door that was there during my father’s entire month’s stay. I had the feeling this was the end of the road, a place where people just came to die. It’s sad that Schenectady County went this long before finally deciding to build a new facility. Hopefully, it will provide the care and resources that these people so desperately deserve. Of course, the Berger Commission and its unrealistic recommendations — not only at this facility, but at local hospitals — leaves much to be desired. With nursing home bed space in demand, I can’t see how they can justify going from 360 to 180 beds. I guess I don’t have a PhD to figure that one out. MICHAEL HILTON Glenville
I feel obligated to write this for my father, who passed away last June and unfortunately was a patient at this facility until he passed. This wasn’t our choice for his care; however, we had no option, as this was the only facility that was available, unless you have the salary of Donald Trump.
or the deep pockets of the taxpayers.......which is fine, but I know folks who 'spend down'........so who is responsible for their elderly care????? myself included here......should I spend down or save up??????
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Re Michael Hilton’s June 6 letter, “New Schenectady County nursing home long overdue”: My husband, James, was a patient at Glendale Nursing home from the end of March 2004 until Memorial Day weekend 2005. Glendale wasn’t my first choice, either. With two hours’ notice, I had to find a nursing home, and only Glendale was available. I immediately started the paperwork to transfer my husband to another facility, but in a week or two I realized that the old and outdated building wasn’t an indicator of the quality of care he was receiving. I soon dropped any plans to transfer him. The staff was professional, dedicated (it isn’t easy work) and very caring. I always found my husband immaculately clean, and in the 13 months he was there, he never developed a rash or bed sores. I would tell friends and family, before their first visit, to ignore the grim surroundings and to look at Jim and feel the atmosphere of warmth and good spirits. I will always be grateful to the wonderful people at Glendale. SUSANNA K. SHERWOOD Schenectady
The rubber meets the road when your standing there with your soiled pants at your ankles and the person standing in front of you is going to help you clean up......does nice wallpaper, carpets, curtains help,,,,,sure........
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
SCHENECTADY COUNTY County braces to lose millions State cuts aid for nursing home costs BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
Schenectady County’s proposed new nursing home will cost taxpayers millions above the amount estimated earlier to subsidize each year, because the state has eliminated a key revenue source, officials said. Under the original concept, the county expected to spend $5.2 million annually to support operations of a new 200-bed facility. The goal is to open the $51 million facility in 2010, though state approval and site selection is only pending. The new facility is to replace the aging 360-bed Glendale Home, which is costing the county more than $7 million to operate this year and is expected to cost $10 million in 2009. The subsidy figure reflects all county costs after federal and state reimbursements. However, the state Legislature eliminated a $100 million fund, called the Public Facilities Grant, for public nursing homes for 2009 during a special session in August. The county had hoped to tap this fund to offset costs. According to county officials, the cost to operate the new facility will now top $8.5 million annually, even after the county receives enhanced reimbursement for a new facility. The cost would have been even higher had it not been for $6 million the county is receiving from the federal government, a one-shot reimbursement to all counties that operate nursing homes, retroactive to 2006. Schenectady will receive approximately $750,000 annually, beginning in 2009, but the total will decrease dramatically in subsequent years. Without the federal grant, the cumulative subsidy to Glendale would have topped $13 million between 2009 and 2012, officials said. County Legislator Gary Hughes, D-Schenectady, said the county is aware that elimination of the Pub- lic Facilities Grant will increase the cost of operating the proposed home, “but the public wants a nursing home.” Hughes said, “We never expected to break even.” Legislator Martin Finn, DNiskayuna, said, “People in Schenectady County want a nursing home, even though the costs will increase.” Finn, who is seeking re-election this year, plans to ask residents of District 3, comprising Niskayuna and Glenville, if they want to continue supporting nonmandated programs, like the nursing home, as he campaigns. Tim Macfarlane, a Republican challenging Finn for the District 3 seat, said he thinks the county should work with other agencies to operate Glendale and thereby reduce its costs. “No politician is saying we should come out and do away with the nursing home. I’m saying we should work in cooperation with other facilities,” Macfarlane said. He also does not think the county should build a new nursing home. “I’m not sure they can afford it,” he said. County Legislator Dr. Brian Gordon, an orthopedic surgeon, said Ellis Hospital already has enough on its plate without dealing with Glendale. Ellis is consolidating operations with the former St. Clare’s Hospital. “Glendale is even more important now with a single hospital entity with limited bed space,” he said. “We are seeing issues in the summer. In the winter having bed space becomes more critical and things could be potentially worse.” Ellis discharges patients to Glendale, freeing up hospital beds for sicker patients, he said. Minority Leader Robert Farley, R-Glenville, repeated his proposal that the county divest itself of the nursing home by turning it into a nonprofit corporation. The county would still be responsible for personnel liabilities but others costs would come off the county’s books. BERGER COMMISSION The Berger Commission, more formally known as the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century, recommended the county downsize the 360-bed Glendale skilled nursing facility to 168 beds. The Berger Commission findings became law in January 2007, also mandating consolidation of the services of Ellis Hospital with those of Bellevue Woman’s Hospital and St. Clare’s Hospital. Those changes are under way. The Berger report suggested the county keep Glendale open, but county officials said the facility is inefficient and too expensive to operate. They submitted a certificate of need with the state in May for permission to build the new facility. The county has already begun to reduce the number of beds at Glendale in anticipation of a new facility. Glendale went to 220 beds Dec. 31, and will go to 210 beds by Dec. 31, 2009, and to 200 beds by Dec. 31, 2010. To achieve the reduction, the county has limited admissions. Glendale’s $7 million county subsidy is part of structural defi cit in the county budget. Another is annual reliance on the county’s surplus fund to balance the budget, this year amounting to $8 million. The 2008 county budget is $283 million. On top of these expenditures are increases in personnel costs and in state-mandated programs like Medicaid. Meanwhile, county sales and mortgage tax receipts — two main revenue streams — are coming in at or near projections. The county budgeted these figures conservatively. “The main bogie man is state revenues,” Hughes said. Philip Fields, D-Schenectady, chairman of the county Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee, said the county has only three ways to close the deficit: cut programs and services, use the surplus and raise taxes. He said officials are reviewing all county programs and services. The tax option is on the table for discussion, Hughes said. “People need to understand that when the state reduces its budget and it doesn’t eliminate the obligation to maintain services, it is sending the costs downhill to counties,” Hughes said. “We have no way to pay those costs other than raise taxes. Even after we are done cutting programs, it is likely we will raise taxes.” Finn said closing the gap should involve spending cuts, a tax increase, asking the state to restore aid cuts and running state-mandated programs more efficiently. Added, Finn, “The people of Schenectady aren’t stupid. If they know we are required to have these services and we have to fund them, it is through increased taxes.” County Legislator Vincent DiCerbo, D-Schenectady, said he has hope the state Legislature will restore some of the cuts to counties. “We have taken the brunt of the cuts while others are getting off unharmed or with little cuts in their operations. There has to be some equality here in terms of shared sacrifice,” he said. Said Fields, “We definitely are going to make some fundamental changes in the way government spends due to the fact these costs are going up and there are no additional revenues coming in.”
Sell it!! Government does not belong in the medical business!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
then WHO will take care of the elderly people who dont have the family or the money to take care of themselved when they get sick or old? Where do you people come from? You have no love in your hearts what so ever.
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