Albany County amends Shaker Place budget to reflect staffing gains, add in‑house speech therapists

Albany County officials approved an amendment to the 2025 Department of Residential Healthcare Facilities budget to reflect higher staffing levels at Shaker Place and to add two in‑house speech‑therapist positions, Executive Director Mark Olsen said.

County officials said the amendment realigns staffing and revenue estimates after a year of recruitment and training initiatives at Shaker Place, the county-operated residential healthcare facility. The change aims to reflect recent hiring gains, reduce reliance on outside staffing agencies and place two speech‑therapy positions on the facility payroll.

Mark Olsen, executive director of the county residential healthcare department, told the committee that Shaker Place contracted with the Capital District Transportation Authority to provide free staff transportation, established an in‑house recruitment team, opened an additional care center and started a state‑approved nurse‑aide training program. “For the first time in over 10 years, Shaker Place is no longer using expensive outside staffing agencies, and we have significantly reduced reliance on per diem staff,” Olsen said.

Olsen said the county’s nurse‑aide training program has graduated 26 certified nurse aides (CNAs) so far and cited recent staffing increases: the facility employed about 17 licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in 2023 and now employs 39; it employed about 42 CNAs in 2023 and now employs about 100. He said those changes mean Shaker Place expects to meet the New York State nursing‑home staffing mandate enacted in 2022 for the first time in 2025.

Olsen described specific line‑item changes the amendment would make: add 16 full‑time CNA budget lines, move 16 previously approved training lines into a temporary budget line (transcript phrasing unclear on the exact destination), and add two speech‑therapist positions as county or facility employees rather than contracted staff. “The nurse aide training program…was the difference maker,” Olsen said of the recent gains.

On revenue, Olsen said the facility’s inpatient census has been strong this year and that the amendment anticipates roughly $1,200,000 in additional operating revenue; he also said there are other adjustments to revenue and expense lines tied to the staffing changes.

There were no substantive follow‑up questions recorded from committee members beyond comments of appreciation for the staffing and customer‑satisfaction improvements. A motion to approve the budget amendment was made by Miss Besson and seconded by Miss Marzano; the committee approved the amendment by voice vote (“Aye”).

The amendment will realign Shaker Place’s budget lines to reflect current staffing and to convert some contracted positions into county or facility employees; the transcript does not specify an exact effective date for the changes or additional implementation steps beyond the budget amendment.

Votes at a glance: Motion to amend the 2025 Department of Residential Healthcare Facilities budget — moved by Miss Besson; seconded by Miss Marzano; approved by voice vote (recorded as “Aye”).