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bardi. “Renovation of the existing hospitals t Charleroi and* By JOHN BUNARDZYA When the proposed Mon Valley Hospital becomes a reality two years hence, its Charleroi and Monongahela divisons now in operation may be converted into long-term care service (nursing homes) under a unique plan for the three-county area it serves. The possibility is said to be the most logical .of four alternatives being studied by an ad hoc committee on utilisation of existing facilities for the new $27.5-million hospital to be constructed on a tract of 34.3 acres off Route 88 in Carroll Twp. across the highway from Mon Valley Country Club.Groundbreaking is scheduled for March, with October of 1978 the date for completion.According to Executive Director Anthony M. Lomardi Jr., the ad hoc committee has met only once since it was formed and seems to be leaning toward” a plan (number 2) whereby the hospital could, by various methods, independently finance the reconversion plan.Counties share cost “It could then offer these facilities for the ice by the counties • on a purchase-Of-service arrangement. ’*‘ftvnlained l.nmharrti“Those (patients) unable to be accommodated in a county, facility would be provided for in the plan, with the counties picking up their pro-rata share of the cost.’ ’Lombardi stressed lhat should such a plan be adopted, efforts would be made to avoid duplication of services in the converted facilities and “provide them as economically as possible.”At the same time, the purchase-of-ser vice plan would be designed to provide as many beds as possible to meet the needs of the tri-county area for long-term care, explained Lombardi.Before indicating its preference. Lombardi said the ad hoc committee reviewed an inventory of long-term care beds needed in the tri-county area.“The committee’s principal goal is aimed first at fulfilling the needs of the Valley, said Lombardi.“A workable plan could be developed whereby the renovated long-term care beds would be spread among the three counties based on these percentages,” said Lombardi, “and the counties would purchase the long-term care services from the hospital.” Of four alternatives proposed for the disposition of the existingI nmhor/li null, Ihn ihi*An MkiAW'*Alternative One: Ideally, he said, the provision of long-term care should be shared between the county and hospital, or, since the hospital’s primary service area includes three counties, the provision for long-term care could be a multi-cooperative arrangement between the hospitals and counties. Either of these alternatives have their advantages and could potentially lead to government funding on federal and-or state levels.“However.” continued Lombardi, “each of the three counties is plighted in fulfilling its long-term responsibilities. Faced with obsolete buildings, lack of funds and the potential loss of future funds, along with the fact that very little has been accomplished in meeting the needs for proper levels of care (skilled, intermediate, custodial) definite potential advantages exist by cooperating with the hospital.”In Washington County alone, in which the current Valley hospitals exist and where the new hospital will be located, Lombardi said a recent study “shows a need for 440 beds by 1980,” mostly in the category of custodial care.“Washington County Ts currently into construction of a new!«» A.._n fnniliti. AM^Alnlnn ’* nAinf rillt f nn.Monongahela) could adequately handle the additional 190 longterm care beds needed by the county alone.Lombardi emphasized the “greatest need in Washington County is for custodian care beds.“Currently, there is no third party financing mechanism for custodial care.” he said. “For years persons in health care administration have been propounding the theory that caring for custodial patients in skilled and Intermediate facilities increases the cost for providing custodial care and that state and federal funding programs as well as private reimbursement programs would conserve their health care dollars if they would reimburse custodial care facilities.”“Recently, this theory has received more than cursory attention on the state level,” said Lombardi. The possibility, therefore, exists for the hospital and the county (or counties) to engage in an experiment of custodial care costs with state and-or-federal governments funding the cost of the experiment.“This experiment should definitely prove the cost of custodial
Newspaper Details
Monessen Valley Independent
Monessen, Pennsylvania, US
Sat, Jan 24, 1976
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PA, USA 11 May 2020
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