Your View: Why Lehigh County continues to run nursing homes

Staffing levels in health care have been a prominent topic over the last several years, particularly in this time period of increased medical needs nationwide and a severe shortage of people entering the health care industry. As a nation, we pride ourselves on health care research and development, best practices and new technologies to improve the lives of our citizens of any age. The most important component of those best practices and technology is people. A health care organization must have good recruiting and retention, adequate staff training and the right number of staff.Lehigh County continues to make the choice of operating a county nursing home. It is a noble cause because we have a duty to care for our most vulnerable citizens, who may have lost their independence and financial stability, but they still have a right to quality care and dignity. The county is investing $47 million into a new nursing home wing at Cedarbrook and continues to invest in other areas of both buildings. Cedarbrook is the bedrock of Lehigh County’s support system for our elderly nursing home population.Philips Armstrong (PHILIPS ARMSTRONG CAMPAIGN / CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/)Jason Cumello (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/)The county is proud to continue providing care for our Cedarbrook population, 90% of whom receive medical assistance. Despite the financial challenges associated with caring for a very large Medicaid population, Lehigh County and Cedarbrook proudly continue to provide the right amount of staffing for our two nursing facilities. Per the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is the federal agency that administers quality standards for nursing homes, Cedarbrook staffing levels are rated as “Above Average.”We rate our own staff at Cedarbrook Allentown and Fountain Hill as the very best in any health care environment. It is common to witness Cedarbrook staff hugging a resident, providing comfort and reassurance, and even dancing and singing along with our residents. As a county, we have always been confident in Cedarbrook staff, past and present, to provide quality care to all who pass through our doors. The staff of the past have provided the strong foundation for the nearly 1,000 staff of the present to succeed in a rapidly changing health care world that is almost unrecognizable compared to only 10 years ago.We encourage our fellow Lehigh County citizens to seek a career in long-term care, whether it is at Cedarbrook or any of the other nursing homes in the Valley. Not only is a career in long-term care likely to be in high demand for decades to come, but it is also a way for one to share the empathy and caring in one’s own heart with those that may have lost just about everything in life, including their functional independence and even most of their family members and friends.Very few of us can plan for what life brings us — good or bad. Nursing homes like Cedarbrook should always be here for our citizens.Phillips M. Armstrong is the Lehigh County executive. Jason Cumello is director and administrator of Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehabilitation Center.
Source: Morningcall