Richland County committee approves Pine Valley staffing and pay adjustments after outbreak and overnight-stay concerns

The Richland County Community and Health and Service standing committee on March 5 approved changes to staffing compensation and operational practices at Pine Valley Community Village after administrators described a February respiratory outbreak, staffing shortages and a social-media complaint about contracted staff sleeping in the building.

Britney, Pine Valley’s administrator, told the committee that the facility faced “some sort of outbreak” in February that affected residents and staff and prompted steps intended to catch problems before they escalate. “We’ve implemented angel rounds,” she said, “so all of our managers take about 5 rooms in our building, and they’re ... going down talking to the resident, checking on them, asking them, like, their rooms.” The committee heard that managers will conduct these checks twice weekly at first and then scale back as appropriate.

The administrator said the facility currently has minimal open shifts — “we only have 2 open shifts on PMs for our CNAs” — and that some nurse positions remain thin but are being supported by agency staff. Committee members raised concerns about rumors circulating on social media that Pine Valley had instituted pay cuts; Britney said that was incorrect and that pay adjustments occur only when employees change benefit status. “We did do the raises in the building,” she said, and any apparent reductions stemmed from changes in premium eligibility, not across-the-board cuts.

Committee members also addressed an incident in which contracted staff staying in the building during extreme weather drew public criticism. Staff explained that contracted employees occasionally remain on-site for short periods when travel or lodging is unavailable, and that those workers are background-checked and screened before being allowed to stay. One staff member summarized the case: “They were contracted staff from Texas. They shared that their Airbnb wouldn’t be available for 3 additional days ... they were gonna stay in the building for 3 days.” The committee asked that county counsel be consulted to determine whether a formal overnight-stay policy is needed.

After discussion, a member moved and the committee voted by voice to approve the payroll/comp-time adjustments and related staffing measures described by administrators. Proponents said paying managers for floor time rather than letting comp time accumulate will reduce reliance on agency staff and improve continuity of care.

The committee also received updates on the facility’s ongoing maintenance planning (including plans for elopement and active-shooter drills), an audit that is temporarily on hold while missing documents are gathered, and efforts to recruit and retain nursing and CNA staff.

The committee did not assign a new implementation date at the meeting; staff said they will follow up with corporation counsel and report back at the next meeting. The subcommittee adjourned after completing its agenda.