A potential buyer for the financially troubled Cold Spring Hills Nursing & Rehabilitation Center has begun touring the Woodbury nursing home and a decision on the sale of the building is expected “soon,” according to a report from an independent health inspector at the facility.
A newly released report details Cold Spring Hills’ financial problems, including major business renovations that have yet to begin, private vendors who have not been paid and employees who are not did not increase the duration of the illness.
In her report, Lisa Wickens-Alteri, Cold Spring Hills’ council-appointed health professional, said a change in ownership is needed because “the current path of delay is unsustainable.”
The report does not identify a potential buyer and indicates that an agreement to sell the facility — the second-largest nursing home on Long Island — has not yet been reached.
“Potential new owners have come to visit the building to meet the workers, talk to them [independent health monitor]examine the building and look at the grounds, but taking on a campus of this size, requiring such a large investment is a disappointing decision, especially given the institution that lives under it,” Wickens-Alteri wrote in her report. in Nassau State Supreme Court Justice Lisa Cairo.
In a previous report in Cairo, Wickens-Alteri wrote that a potential buyer has been approved by the Department of Health and Community Health Project Council to buy and operate a different nursing home in New York State, “to show that they have exceeded their personality. aptitude tests.”
Cairo held a redevelopment hearing in Cold Spring Hills last week. Details of the case were not immediately available.
Monica Pomeroy, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health, said a Certificate of Need must be presented before any sale can be reviewed.
“At this time, CON has not been produced,” he said.
Attorneys for Wickens-Alteri and Cold Spring Hills each did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The latest health inspection report also provides a detailed account of Cold Spring Hills’ financial problems.
They include private sellers who are not paid and then refuse to promote services; commercial dishwasher in need of replacement; Elevators in need of repair and workers complaining that they have not received their uniform allowance or sick time pay, and are running out of sick time. Most of the employees at Cold Spring Hills are members of the 1199SEIU union.
The director of the Seniors Day program and the director of the at-risk nursing home resigned last month, along with six other nursing staff, Wickens-Alteri wrote. But, eight employees from Five Star Nursing in Brooklyn, who stopped their services at Cold Spring Hills because of unpaid wages, have switched to nursing home staff, he wrote.
Wickens-Alteri wrote: “Continued uncertainty about the future of the facility, combined with aging systems and unexpected vendor fees are creating challenges,” Wickens-Alteri wrote. Wickens-Alteri, adding that the migration of workers appears to be “safe.”
Five Star Nursing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“Despite the uncertainty, 1199SEIU caregivers continue to provide quality care to the residents of Cold Spring Hills,” said Rose Ryan, a spokeswoman for the organization.
Labor shortages have also forced a greater reliance on overtime, increasing costs, the report says.
“Rumors and the lack of a clear plan for the future of the facility have had a profound effect on staff sentiment,” Wickens-Alteri wrote. “Many workers want to be assured of job security, which cannot currently be provided. Some workers are no longer working, they are continuing their daily work when they they are talking to their colleagues. care of the citizens.”
In May, Cold Spring Hills served 388 residents across four buildings. It now cares for 343 residents combined in three buildings, he wrote. The reduction of 45 residents in the 588-bed facility amounts to about $15,000 in lost revenue per day, the health expert said.
In April, Cairo appointed Wickens-Alteri, president of Capital Health Consulting LLC in Albany, as an independent health care specialist in Cold Spring Hills, focused on improving patient care, maintaining adequate staffing and ensure that administrators follow state and federal guidelines. Wickens-Alteri has been ordered to provide monthly reports on the status of the agency.
Wickens-Alteri’s appointment was part of the settlement of a controversial lawsuit between Attorney General Letitia James and Cold Spring Hills that involved a fine of more than $2 million against nursing home owners. James alleged in the suit that the agency neglected the care of citizens and violated state laws by creating a fraudulent business aimed at enriching its owners.
James asked the court to fine the nursing home tens of millions of dollars, install a cash machine and remove one of its owners, Bent Philipson – all of which were rejected by the judge.
Robert Brodsky is a veteran reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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