Do Lehigh Commissioner Candidates Favor Privatizing County Nursing Home?

Lehigh County Republicans who go to the polls for Tuesday's primary election will be able to select four of eight candidates to advance to November's general election. Patch asked the candidates for succinct answers to three questions to help voters make an informed choice.

The first question draws on both a nationwide trend of privatizing some government services, as well as controversy in neighboring Northampton County over the fate of Gracedale nursing home.

Additional questions and answers from each candidate will be posted on every Lehigh County Patch website on Thursday and Friday.

Here is the first of three questions and answers:

Do you favor privatizing the Cedarbrook nursing home?

Dean N. Browning: The county has two nursing home facilities, one in South Whitehall and the other in Fountain Hill.  I believe we should sell the larger (and older) facility in South Whitehall and retain the smaller, more modern Fountain Hill operation as a safety net for our seniors.

Norma Cusick: At this time I do not favor further privatization of Cedarbrook nursing home. Lehigh County has already privatized management at the home, and it has budgeted to a level of financial commitment amounting to $2,138,557 for 2011.  This needs time to evolve.

Vic Mazziotti: Yes.  Two thirds of the counties in Pennsylvania do not operate a county nursing home.  There is no need for a "poor house" today since most nursing homes will accept Medicare and Medicaid patients.

David C. Najarian: A private entity may have a greater incentive to invest in the facility and the care provided so as to compete with similar facilities, however with requirement that the facility remain open to those who rely solely on Medicare/Medicaid, and establish safeguards as to the care provided. This should be examined along with all other county services.

Brad Osborne: My foremost concern is the quality of care for our seniors.  But if I can be convinced of the proper and professional care of our loved ones in the arms of a private company, at a lower and more efficient long-term cost than public ownership, then I would support privatization.

Scott Ott: Every program, project and position must be “on the table,” and commissioners need to ask questions about the necessity of county's role in anything that is not a core responsibility of county government. With a wide variety of private-sector options now available for such care, it would make sense to find a way to provide the service in the most customer-responsive way, while reducing long-term, unsustainable costs to the county's taxpayers. Private ownership can increase quality of care, and of the facilities.

Lisa Scheller: Many Pennsylvania counties have already privatized their nursing homes. I would be in favor of privatizing the Cedarbrook nursing home with a quality service provider who accepts Medicare and Medicaid.  This would be a benefit to the county by eliminating the costs associated with Cedarbrook and would put the care facility under the management of an organization whose expertise is elder care, potentially providing a higher level of care at a lower cost to residents.

Mike Welsh: I would favor Cedarbrook privatization if it could be proven to produce a better quality of care for residents.