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Officials make ‘surprise’ visit to Care Center

Family Council President reacts

By Joseph Abraham
Posted 7/19/22

LIBERTY –– Criticism of the Care Center at Sunset Lake by members of the public in recent months, including concerns over their census and staffing, has led to legislators asking to hear …

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Officials make ‘surprise’ visit to Care Center

Family Council President reacts

Posted

LIBERTY –– Criticism of the Care Center at Sunset Lake by members of the public in recent months, including concerns over their census and staffing, has led to legislators asking to hear from members of the Sunset Lake Local Development Corporation (LDC), the owners of the property, and Infinite Care, the nursing home’s operator.

In response to concerns from the public and his peers, District 4 Legislator Nicholas Salomone, a member of the LDC board and Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, recently led a “surprise tour” of the Care Center, with County Coroner and fellow LDC Board member Albee Bockman, and Teamsters Local 445 Business Agent Tom O’Connell, joining him.

Salomone said he wanted to see how County employees and Infinite Care were serving Care Center residents during a challenging time in the healthcare industry nationwide, and noted that he, Bockman and O’Connell “came away with the same conclusions.”

“The first thing I wanted to do was see how it looks,” said Bockman. “The facility was spotless and odor-free on all floors.”

“I didn’t think we’d find otherwise,” affirmed O’Connell, who is the union representative for many of the County employees who work at the Care Center. “There have been staffing challenges, but the dedicated crew that is there continues to ensure the health and safety of every resident.”

According to the County-issued press release, all three said the tour – led by a staff member, not an administrator – reaffirmed both the Legislature’s decision to hire Infinite Care and the consultant’s ongoing effort to attract and retain staff, a struggle that is currently endemic to the entire healthcare industry and particularly to supportive care facilities.

As a member of the Sunset Lake LDC, Bockman was part of the group which recommended Infinite Care to the Legislature as an operator of the Care Center – first as a consultant and soon as a lessee.

“Of all the firms we spoke to, it was Infinite Care’s CEO, Sol Klein, whose employees said they love working for him,” Bockman recalled, adding that he remains keenly interested in ensuring appropriate staffing levels are maintained.

“Infinite is the County’s partner in working to make the Care Center ever better,” Salomone remarked. “While it continues to be difficult to attract people to any healthcare job, they have been successful in recruiting staff and are working as hard as they can to fill vacant positions. From what I’ve seen, I feel confident the Care Center is in good hands and is headed in the right direction.”

The full press release on the officials' visit can be found on the County's website, as well as the Care Center's Facebook page.

Setren reacts

The purpose of the Family Council of the Care Center at Sunset Lake is to advocate for residents, their families and for the staff of the facility. Lou Setren, President of The Family Council, told the Democrat that he was initially appreciative to hear of the officials’ visit, but said his hopes were “misplaced” and he “remains disappointed.”

“Mr. Salomone failed to discuss his May 31 ‘surprise’ visit with families, in either a public, or private meeting, despite being asked directly during public comment, nor as Chair of the Health and Human Services, has he issued any report of his findings,” said Setren. “Instead, a ‘press release’ is presented more than six weeks later, in which the only opinions regarding the conditions present during the visit, are not those of Mr. Salomone, but rather those of the other officials along for the “‘tour.’"

Setren said anyone who has had direct experience with the Care Center shouldn’t be surprised that the facility was spotless and odor-free.

“Neither of these are, or have been an issue at the Care Center, a testament to the dedicated staff, continuing to work under very trying circumstances,” he said. 

“Of further concern is the continued characterization of this as a ‘surprise’ visit, when Mr. Salomone called the facility at least two hours earlier to advise of his planned arrival,” claimed Setren.

Salomone told the Democrat on Monday that he did not notify the Care Center administrator nor anyone else at the facility ahead of his surprise visit on May 31.

In regard to Salomone’s remarks on staffing levels and Infinite Care’s efforts to fill vacant positions in the challenging labor market, Setren said that Salomone, “should be aware efforts to provide pay parity between staff providing direct care to residents and cleaning crew have languished for far too long, and there is likely plenty of blame to go around.”

Setren said he does not “begrudge” those involved in the maintenance and cleaning of the facility “a single penny of their wage,” and that they deserve every bit of it, and more.

“However, when direct care staff continue to move to other positions, or leave the field entirely, it appears neither the County, nor the bargaining unit, is doing all that can be done,” said Setren, who was also disappointed that there was no mention of opinions expressed by staff during the tour, or conversations with residents about their experiences at the facility, by Salomone.

Setren said he continues to believe Infinite Care is the best of the options presented to the Legislature for a management agreement, and that he cannot offer enough praise to the staff who “continue to try to do the very best they can.”

“Unfortunately, contrived ‘surprise’ visits, and subsequent ‘puff piece’ press releases do nothing to address the continuing challenges faced by the staff, the residents, both of whom must endure periods of staffing shortages, and the frustrations repeatedly expressed by family members to multiple County officials, including Legislators, which apparently fall on deaf ears,” said Setren. “Unless and until there is real dialogue and action, the conditions faced by residents, staff, and family members, and, I believe to some degree by Infinite Care, all of whom deserve better, will likely continue.”

In addition to the recent visit by officials, the Care Center conversation is likely to continue later this week when Klein is scheduled to appear at Thursday’s County Legislature meetings.

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