Nursing Home

Another NY County Shedding its Nursing Home

December 9, 2011 Budget

No budget detail yet, but as part of its budget process, Ulster County has determined to get out of the nursing home business. They’ve established a county-run limited development corporation (LDC) as an intermediary to smooth the process. More details later.

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Yes, Rockland County is in Trouble

December 9, 2011 Budget

Yesterday, after taking a quick look at the budget numbers and actions for 2012, I asked the question, is Rockland County (NY) in trouble? The answer is yes. This morning, the NYS Comptroller released the following (the emphases are mine): DiNAPOLI: POOR BUDGET PRACTICES HURTING ROCKLAND COUNTY County Has Incurred Large Debt and General Fund […]

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Another County Nursing Home on the Block

December 2, 2011 Budget

The county nursing home dramas continue to play out around New York. Here’s another one. Orange County (NY) Executive, Ed Diana submitted a 2012 budget that only had six months funding for the county nursing home, Valley View Center. The Legislature restored the missing six months funding. However, Diana vetoed the restoration. So now the […]

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Patient Patronage

November 23, 2011 Budget

Not generally recognized in the county nursing home business is a second form of political patronage, namely “patient patronage.” Sure County Legislators and other politicians call when they want a job for a friend, family, or constituent. No surprise there. This practice was pretty much suppressed in Albany County government for the first dozen years […]

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Don’t You Really Want to Reconsider? Big Mistake Averted at Least for the Time Being

November 17, 2011 County Government

Today, the Committee charged with reviewing applications for health facility construction projects for New York’s Public Health and Health Planning Committee took up Albany County’s certificate of need application to build a new nursing home. After considerable discussion and an emotional appeal by a patient’s family member and one County Legislator, the Committee voted to […]

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What Albany County Long Term Care Could Use More of Instead of New Nursing Home Capacity

November 17, 2011 Expenditures

The Administrator of a non-profit nursing home in Albany County reminded me yesterday that what the area really needs is more assisted living, residential capacity. Right now there is only one facility in the County that accepts Medicaid for Assisted Living, a less patient restrictive, more homelike, and much less expensive type of program than […]

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Another County Nursing Home is Being Sold

November 17, 2011 County Government

Thanks to an alert reader for pointing out that there’s another New York county nursing home on the agenda of New York’s Public Health & Health Planning Council. Unlike Albany’s, this one, in Fulton County, is being sold. We talked earlier here about the large number of counties seeking to offload their nursing homes (and […]

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Left Hand/Right Hand Continued #2. Perspective From Another Nursing Home

November 16, 2011 Budget

Heard from the Administrator of another nursing home (by reputation, a good facility) who pointed out that she runs a nursing home of about the same size as Albany County and … The projected deficit for a new Albany County Nursing Home is about the same size as their entire annual budget. It must be […]

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Left Hand/Right Hand Continued. Tying Several Issues Together

November 16, 2011 County Government

Am hearing from officials in other New York counties regarding the Albany County Nursing Home. Here’s a quote that ties together several important issues: The nursing home issue goes to the heart of the issue about mandate relief/bailouts for counties. Why should Albany County get the same relief that other counties are getting when they […]

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Left Hand, Meet Right Hand

November 15, 2011 Budget

It appears that this coming Thursday, New York State will bless the construction of a new Albany County Nursing Home. I wrote a bit about it a couple weeks ago when County Legislators began to talk privately about their hopes that the State would take them off the hook and disapprove the application. On the […]

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