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Public commenters and staff flag staffing, management and capital needs at Sullivan County Adult Care Center
Summary
At a Sullivan County Health and Human Services meeting, residents and committee members raised repeated concerns about staffing, the absence of a qualified director of nursing, contractor oversight and deferred capital work at the county-operated Adult Care Center; county staff reported some repairs and new hires but acknowledged ongoing issues.
Public commenters and members of the Health and Human Services Committee on Tuesday sharply criticized the county’s handling of the Sullivan County Adult Care Center (ACC), saying key management positions remain unfilled and deferred capital work and contracting arrangements risk the facility’s operations.
The comments focused on the absence of a qualified director of nursing (DON) and assistant DON at the ACC. “According to the job description … the acting DON received her RN license in July of 2022 and thus she is not qualified for this position under the county civil service rules,” said Miss Kennedy during public comment, citing the county’s civil service and the current Infinite Care consulting contract.
Why it matters: The DON is the facility-level clinical manager required by state rules to meet minimum education and experience standards. Commenters said the county’s continued reliance on a consulting arrangement and apparent gaps in civil-service hiring leave clinical leadership and long-term oversight unclear.
County and facility updates provided during the meeting showed a mixture of corrective steps and ongoing challenges. Bobby Anne, identified in the meeting as the care center representative, said the ACC census for the reporting month (November) was 130 and described a recent COVID outbreak where 22 residents and 12 staff were affected; she said the outbreak had resolved.
The Department of Health (DOH) notified the ACC by letter on Nov. 12 that the facility met the 3.5-hours-per-resident standard for Q2 2023, according to Bobby Anne. The ACC also reported a two-star rating on health inspection and quality measures; plans of correction for the clinical and environmental surveys were approved, the report said.
Public commenters pressed for faster hiring and more direct county intervention. One speaker said the county has repeatedly heard about the DON vacancy “at least the fourth time” and asked, “What’s it gonna take for the proper action to be taken?” Another commenter criticized deferred capital projects and rising contractor expenditures, saying the county faces $8,633,000 in outstanding claims and that recent reconciliations showed $56,600 owed in the last report.
County operational responses included immediate maintenance work: a legislator reported that a second-floor conference room heating unit was repaired the same day DPW was notified, and that maintenance and cleaning staff would soon increase by four positions. In addition, Bobby Anne said the facility has been recruiting and hired one RN, two CNAs and one cook for November reporting.
Discussion vs. formal action: The comments and staff updates were part of public comment and the regular departmental report. There was no formal action recorded in the transcript to change the ACC’s operator or the Infinite Care consulting contract during this meeting.
Clarifying details captured in the meeting records and public comment include the ACC census (130 for the reporting month of November), the COVID outbreak counts (22 residents, 12 staff), the DOH letter date (Nov. 12) confirming compliance with the 3.5-hour standard for Q2 2023, and the staffing hires (1 RN, 2 CNAs, 1 cook). The public commenter cited civil-service requirements and portions of the Infinite Care contract that govern recruitment under county civil-service rules.
Next steps and outlook: Commenters urged the legislature to be more assertive in overseeing hiring and capital work at the ACC; county staff reported immediate maintenance fixes and incremental hires but did not announce new management hires during the meeting. The transcript shows the matter has been raised repeatedly at prior meetings and remains a clear oversight priority for several legislators and residents.
Provenance: Public comment and ACC report excerpts in the meeting transcript between the care center report (first related remarks) and the public comments and follow-up DPW repair report (final related remarks) informed this article.
