Madison County leaders considering outsourcing the services of its home health care agency were met with outcry from employees who serve more than 200 patients countywide. More than 30 nurses and county workers voiced their concerns at a picket Monday afternoon, marching on both sides of North Court Street in Wampsville carrying signs that read “Supervisors might need home...
Justin Thornton and Jim Coulthart, both of Oneida, hold signs outside the Madison County Office complex on North Court Street in Wampsville Monday afternoon.
Madison County leaders considering outsourcing the services of its home health care agency were met with outcry from employees who serve more than 200 patients countywide.
More than 30 nurses and county workers voiced their concerns at a picket Monday afternoon, marching on both sides of North Court Street in Wampsville carrying signs that read “Supervisors might need home care someday” and “Public health care is not for sale.”
They carried their signs into a meeting of the county’s public health committee, where supervisors unanimously voted to solicit proposals from private entities who provide skilled nursing care and other therapies to homebound patients.
Madison County Administrator Paul Miller said the change has been under consideration to combat a $388,835 deficit in 2009 and repeated deficiencies in state audits of recordkeeping, administration and oversight, patient care and case management and coordination.
“Not everything in government makes money,” Miller said. “Very few things do. But this is a nonmandated program. It pains me to say that the government can’t do something, but that may be the case.”
On Monday, the committee agreed to create a task force to look at the options for the agency’s future, including in-house and outside solutions.
Lebanon Supervisor Jim Goldstein said similar steps were taken when the county’s mental health department was underperforming.
“This is the beginning of the process, not the end of it,” said Goldstein, adding that finding new streams of revenue helped the department turn around its finances and workload.
Miller said the 44-employee home health care division has been running deficits for the last five years and falls below national standards for productivity. In comparison to standard patient load of about 25 patients per registered nurse, Madison County’s workers carry 16 patients, Miller said. The nurses also average around three visits per day, which does not meet the industry goal of six patient visits.
The debate has incited emotional appeals from both county employees and the patients they serve. Brookfield Supervisor John Salka, who heads the county’s public health committee, said he received more than a half dozen phone calls from residents concerned about losing their care.
“We’re all here to make sure we do what’s best for our patients,” he said. “It’s hard to mix money and patient care. But unfortunately that’s the way it is. You have to pay for bandages, beds and benefits.”
Madison County CSEA White Collar President Russell Stewart said the union would work with supervisors to improve productivity and other measures of success.
“It is neighbors taking care of neighbors,” he said. “We want to keep it that way. We’re here to work together.”
Jim Coulthart of Oneida said he participated in the protest to support the county workers who had served his wife and mother.
“They go the extra distance,” he said of the nurses. “Our money is best spent on something like this. It is something we all would miss.”