Supervisors Friday agreed to turn the county’s home health services over to the private Home Health Care of Rochester.
The decision followed three years of discussions, pleas by nurses to reconsider, two votes for five-minute recesses to discuss the sale, and even a vote on whether supervisors were going to vote.
“I don’t feel county government can serve the clientele that needs to be served in their older years,” said Middleburgh’s Dennis Richards as supervisors explained their votes.
“This county is not going to be going out and hiring…specialists. This company will be able to do that.”
Fulton Supervisor Phil Skowfoe blasted Mr. Richards and fellow Supervisors Martin Shrederis of Schoharie and Bob Mann of Blenheim for agreeing to give the County Home Health Agency or CHAA time to turn itself around financially and then voting to sell it instead.
“This wasn’t a democratic process,” Mr. Skowfoe said, accusing supervisors of soliciting votes from each other during the recesses.
Speaking to supervisors before the vote, nurses said a for-profit company like HCR won’t care for patients like they have.
“We’re been told we are costing taxpayers money and we are not,” said Michelle Roche.
“I don’t think an outside company is going to drive from Sharon Springs to Gilboa in the middle of the night for something.”
John Driessen told supervisors none of the nurses go home at 4:30pm; all of his patients have his cell phone number, he said.
“The county doesn’t realize what they have here,” Mr. Driessen added.
“The patients will get the same service, because the staff will be the same, but this is a for-profit and it will be the bottom line that makes a difference.”
Betsy Bernocco, president of the county’s Board of Health, called the whole process “flawed from the very beginning.”
“You are going to be undersold,” she said, “I ask you to take a step back. Once it’s sold, it’s sold.”
Horst Fierek of Richmondville spoke about how county home health nurses probably saved his life after cancer and hip surgeries; Mary Lou Wood of Seward said with no nursing home in the county, the nurses are more important than ever.
In the end, supervisors agreed to enter into a management agreement with the CHAA for the eventual sale of the home health service.
Previous estimates placed the sale price at about $300,000.
Jefferson Supervisor Dan Singletary said the “yes” vote is for the “betterment of the county.
“We need to make sure the patients and nurses are well-served,” he served.
Seward Supervisor Carl Barbic said HCR will have to comply with all state regulations—something he said the county agency didn’t always do; Mr. Shrederis said the county needs to look and move ahead.
“We’ve had great turmoil in the Health Department,” he said. “Yes, it’s kind of turned around, but where will we be five years down the road if we don’t do something?
“We’re heading in the right direction. I think we’ll be able to provide services we haven’t had.”