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Rockingham County long-term care reports COVID/flu cases and staffing focus; new building nears completion
Summary
County long-term care leaders reported a small COVID outbreak and ongoing flu cases at the nursing center and described recruitment and retention work, RFPs for dietary and dental services, and progress on a new county facility now about 80% complete.
County long-term care and facilities staff told the Rockingham County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 27 that the nursing home census stood at 30 and assisted living at 47, and that the facility had returned to outbreak status after concurrent positive COVID and influenza cases.
Long-term care leadership reported a concurrent small cluster of COVID-19 cases among staff and residents (meeting remarks cited five staff and five residents with COVID positives at the time of the meeting) and said influenza case counts had reduced to zero for staff and residents in the most recent report. Staff emphasized ongoing infection-control work, emergency-preparedness drills and regulatory changes that will take effect in March; one regulatory guidance document was described as lengthy and requiring further summarization for implementation.
Recruitment and retention were a major focus in long-term care discussion. County staff reported continued hiring (three of four LPN positions filled were noted) and low turnover in the latest pay period; they also described retention efforts such as staff development, education, and buyouts of contracts to attract experienced nurses. Human resources noted a large number of initial online applications but a much smaller number of completed interviews, and staff urged continued outreach — including job fairs — and internal retention measures.
On facilities and capital work, county facilities staff said the new county building project was about 80% complete and that permanent power had been enabled. Generators and large fuel tanks are in place and must be registered. Facilities staff said they are waiting for utility (Eversource) tie-in and final revision work; they flagged potential contingency costs (for equipment such as breakers) that may require delegation or legislative assistance to cover unbudgeted amounts.
Administrators also described progress on infrastructure and systems at existing county buildings: a cardiac test upgrade on the Joseph Building second floor, secure-care upgrades, and resolution of parts delays for equipment that arrived from overseas.
Ending: Staff asked commissioners to be mindful of timing mismatches between grant and pilot end-dates and the county fiscal year, and requested delegation help if contingency funding is required for final tie-ins or equipment purchases.
