{"id":3573,"date":"2012-05-15T10:22:06","date_gmt":"2012-05-15T14:22:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=3573"},"modified":"2012-05-15T10:22:06","modified_gmt":"2012-05-15T14:22:06","slug":"residents-voice-nearly-unanimous-plea-not-to-privatize-pocopson-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/?p=3573","title":{"rendered":"Residents voice nearly unanimous plea not to privatize Pocopson Home"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

More than 200 attend county commissioners’ 2nd information session<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By Kathleen Brady Shea,<\/strong> Special to KennettTimes.com<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

About 230 local residents turned out for a meeting Monday night about the future of the Pocopson Home, with most supporting continued Chester County operation of the 275-bed facility.<\/p><\/div>\n

DOWNINGTOWN \u2014 The venue was larger and the crowd a bit smaller, but the message to the Chester County commissioners remained virtually the same: Don\u2019t privatize the Pocopson Home.<\/p>\n

The input occurred during the second in a series of public meetings to discuss the findings of a strategic plan for the county-owned Pocopson Home, a 275-bed long-term, health-care facility. About 230 people attended the forum, which was held in the auditorium of Downingtown High School East.<\/p>\n

But unlike the May 2 meeting, the sentiments to keep the facility county-owned and operated were not unanimous. Although more than 20 speakers urged the commissioners to find ways to fund the ballooning costs, a couple of residents suggested the county would be better served to sell the facility.<\/p>\n

The commissioners have explained that declining state and federal reimbursements and skyrocketing operating costs prompted them several months ago to contract Premier Healthcare Resources, a King of Prussia firm, to prepare a strategic plan and financial analysis. The results of that study were released at the first meeting, prompting an hour of heartfelt testimony about the Pocopson Home\u2019s incomparable quality of care from the crowd of approximately 250.<\/p>\n

At last night\u2019s meeting, speakers were encouraged not to repeat the impassioned testimonials that echoed throughout the first meeting, but some could not contain themselves. Diane Graham, who spoke with difficulty, drew the loudest applause after she lovingly described her home of 21 years.<\/p>\n

Helen Weber of East Goshen elicited some gasps when she opined that she didn\u2019t believe taxpayers should foot the bill.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know why the county should be in this business,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

As before, the commissioners stressed that no decision on the home\u2019s fate has been made, no residents would be displaced no matter what the outcome, and at least one more hearing will be scheduled to review the options.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t make a decision without taking the temperature of Chester County,\u201d said Commissioners\u2019 Chairman Terence Farrell, explaining the need for the meetings, which will be publicized on the county\u2019s web site.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still evaluating everything,\u201d said Commissioner Ryan Costello. \u201cI am not interested in being a part of anything that would involve any one of you moving out of your home \u2026We are all sensitive to the quality-of-care issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Costello said that because the Pocopson Home requires subsidies, the commissioners \u201cowe it to you as taxpayers\u201d to evaluate the facility. \u201cWe don\u2019t have to be in this business,\u201d he said.. \u201cThis is just us doing our best to be transparent and accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Without making a recommendation, the report focused on three changes that would enable the county to save money on the facility: converting it to a nonprofit 501c3, leasing it to a private operator, or selling it. The springboard for last night\u2019s discussion was an hourlong presentation by Joann Jones, Premier Healthcare\u2019s president, which featured projections on future operating losses at the home, ranging from a possible $1.4 million in 2012 to $3.1 million in 2016. She also identified two possible income-producing additions to the home – dialysis treatment and short-term rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

Some of the numbers raised questions.<\/p>\n

For example, Costello wanted to know why the consultants predicted a 1 percent increase for Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements in 2013. After learning that the projection was based on historical patterns, he paused. \u201cIf it rains for a while, it has to get sunny?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Patricia Barry, a nurse from West Brandywine Township, wanted more information on what she viewed as the disproportionately high \u201cindirect costs\u201d assigned to Pocopson, such as allocations for the county\u2019s human resources and accounting\u00a0 services. Cozzone said the commissioners would research the formula used. Costello said \u201ca good portion\u201d of the financial losses stemming from those costs \u2013 about $1.4 million – would continue even if the county sold the facility.<\/p>\n

Despite the red ink, many speakers said they believed the county should continue to fund the facility. And, like the first meeting, several had suggestions, which ran the gamut from raising taxes to saving energy.<\/p>\n

Donald G. Kane, a West Vincent Township resident and retired Air Force colonel, wondered if the county could partner with the Veterans\u2019 Administration to enhance revenue through some services. He also urged the commissioners to explore environmental options such as geo-wells – and government grants to fund them. \u201cPeople like Andy Dinniman can go get you some money,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In her brief summation at the end of the meeting, Commissioner Kathi Cozzone joined her colleagues in thanking the audience for its participation. \u201cI encourage you to continue to come to meetings,\u201d she said. \u201cI certainly understand the value of Pocopson Home in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Those who are unable to attend the meetings, which are being videotaped, can view them on the county web site, said county spokeswoman Rebecca Brain.<\/p>\n

The Pocopson Home, which is located on Route 52 in Pocopson Township, offers care for adults of all ages as well as professional medical, nursing and rehabilitation services. It is certified by both the Medicare and Medicaid programs and also accepts private-paying residents for admission.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More than 200 attend county commissioners’ 2nd information session By Kathleen Brady Shea, Special to KennettTimes.com DOWNINGTOWN \u2014 The venue was larger and the crowd a bit smaller, but the message to the Chester County commissioners remained virtually the same: Don\u2019t privatize the Pocopson Home. The input occurred during the second in a series of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4],"tags":[168,636,637,638,609,114,135,639],"class_list":["post-3573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-featured","tag-budget","tag-county-commissioners","tag-health-care","tag-kathi-cozzone","tag-pocopson-home","tag-ryan-costello","tag-taxes","tag-terenece-farell"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kennetttimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}