Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Long Term Care Contracts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Albany County seeks final renewals for Sacred Place dental and MDS contracts, cites staffing gains
Summary
County staff presented final renewal options for a dental services provider and a one‑year MDS consulting contract for Sacred Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, and highlighted expanded CNA staffing and a nurse‑aide training program that reduced agency reliance.
Albany County Office for the Aging staff on Nov. 19 asked the board to approve final renewal options for a dental services contract at Sacred Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center and to authorize a one‑year consulting contract to support Minimum Data Set (MDS) submissions and accuracy.
John Dillon, the presenter recorded in the meeting, said the county issued the original request for proposals that created the current Dentserv contract (three‑year initial term plus two one‑year renewal options) and that the action under consideration is the last available renewal option. He said the MDS consulting contract with Celtic Consulting is for $207,500 for the term Jan. 1, 2026, through Dec. 31, 2026, and is intended to help ensure timely, accurate MDS submissions.
Why it matters: MDS submissions affect federal and state reimbursement and quality reporting for long‑term care residents. County staff told the board the consulting work is aimed at preventing errors that can reduce reimbursements.
Staff also used the item to report operational changes at Sacred Place. ‘‘This time last year, in rough numbers, we had roughly in the CNA category about 42 FTEs,’’ Dillon said, and the county has ‘‘almost doubled our CNA FTEs’’ to close to 100, reducing the need for agency and per‑diem staff. He said a local NATP nurse‑aide training program placed about 50 CNAs in the community this year, with retention so far ‘‘probably in the thirties’’ and acknowledged ongoing industry turnover.
Board members pressed for details on pay and capacity. Dillon described a sliding CNA pay scale that ‘‘starts at $20.60 and going up,’’ with higher steps approaching $24.20, and said the county offers competitive benefits and other supports designed to retain staff. He estimated daycare census was ‘‘somewhere in the forties’’ against a listed capacity of 66.
The board moved and seconded the approvals during the meeting; minutes and votes were recorded as passed in the meeting record.
What’s next: Staff said the Celtic Consulting contract would run for calendar year 2026 if approved and that the provider contracts will be the last options under the original RFP before the county must reprocure the service.
