Plans for Glendale Nursing Home available online

Schenectady County has posted on their website the plans for a new Glendale Nursing Home. On the site you can see video of the Glendale public hearing, photos of the County Legislators who were present, and see the drawings for a new facility.

Below you can read a letter by County Legislator Dr. Brian Gordon explaining the history of the nursing home discussion:

Two myths have been perpetuated about the Glendale nursing home discussion.

The truth is, the issue of a new Glendale home has been discussed by the Legislature and the community at length over a period of years, and preliminary site plans were first presented on May 28, 2008. The Gazette has been covering this topic since 2005.

Plans exist for a new Glendale Home, including preliminary renderings of a new facility which were available at a public hearing Feb. 12 and at the most recent Legislature meeting May 12. The drawings can also be seen on the county Web site. The bond authorization voted May 12 is also part of the plan.

To say “serious” discussion has not occurred is disingenuous. In 2005, we explored several options, including regional approaches for a combined nursing home with Albany County. We ultimately decided it best for Schenectady County residents to construct a new home. The first Certificate of Need application was authorized by the Legislature in November 2006. Serious discussion occurred again Dec. 14, 2006, when a resolution rejecting the Berger Commission recommendations was approved. On June 28, 2007, we authorized the county manager to submit a preliminary implementation plan to the state Department of Health.

In fact, serious discussion occurred four more times. And let us not forget the public hearing held Feb. 12, attended by nearly 200 people.

Schenectady County needs the Glendale home. On average, there is a 99 percent occupancy rate at our skilled nursing facilities. Due to the increased number of patients in need of skilled nursing services, and the decreased availability of beds in the county, hospitals have had to place patients more than 50 miles away — away from their families, who in many cases will never see their loved one again due to the necessary travel.

Glendale serves residents that may not be as attractive to other private facilities, as evidenced by Glendale’s payer mix of 78 percent Medicaid, which is higher than the county’s other facilities. Glendale works directly with Ellis Hospital to take complex cases that other facilities will not, particularly those with cognitive issues such as dementia.

The county Legislature has deliberated for years on the Glendale issue. We have finally decided to develop a new, state-of-the-art complex. It is our moral and ethical responsibility to care for those in need, and to assist those who cannot help themselves. The new Glendale is being built with those goals in mind.

Brian Gordon, M.D.
District 3 County Legislator representing Niskayuna, Glenville, and Scotia
Co-chair of the Glendale subcommittee