Support urged for ‘Nursing Home’ candidates

Posted 14 October 2013 at 12:00 am

Editor:

In an article on the Orleans Hub, Orleans County Legislature Chairman David Callard stated the best way to preserve the nursing home for the community is to sell the site so it can be run by a private operator. That would ensure a high quality of care for residents, while maintaining jobs and preserving programs, “without dire financial consequences to the taxpayers.”

Just take a look at Orchard Manor to get an idea of what happens when a nursing home is sold into a for-profit situation. Staff is immediately let go. Management did not respond to staff concerns that residents were not being given the best care.

Who is to say that Orchard Manor will not be resold and resold again, or even closed, if the for-profit owners don’t make a profit they feel is adequate. What about the residents in all of this? What about the folks who have loved ones in the facility?

The Villages is a 4-star facility. Residents are well taken care of. It is in the center of Orleans County so it is not a long drive to visit a loved one there.

The voters of Orleans County have the power to complain to their representatives if anything should need to be corrected there. And of course the residents of the county can vote the Legislature out of office if they do not listen to the wishes of Orleans County residents to keep The Villages as a not-for-profit facility.

I do not agree at all with Chairman Callard’s statement that a for-profit business is in the best interest of residents of Orleans County. Remember to vote on Election Day for the Save the Nursing Home candidates. Let your vote be in favor of keeping The Villages as a not-for-profit facility.

Gail Miller
Medina