Residents, staff and community leaders press council for answers on Wicomico Nursing Home operations

A sustained public-comment period on Aug. 4 focused on Wicomico Nursing Home, drawing residents, families, current and former staff, NAACP representatives and clergy who described sudden staff departures, alleged terminations, outsourcing of clinical and billing functions, reduced activities and snacks for residents, and concerns about possible privatization.

Wendy Catlin and Janet Fox—whose mother was a longtime resident—described the facility's prior culture of attentive care and said they now "sense the difference" and have observed fewer familiar staff. Catlin asked the council to "find out what the problem is at Wicomico Nursing Home" and, if appropriate, "who the problem is." Mary Ashanti (Wicomico NAACP) and others recounted the home's founding purpose and urged the council to protect the institution from privatization and to increase transparency and frequency of oversight meetings.

Several staff members who identified themselves as recently terminated or suspended described abrupt personnel actions and a shift in operations beginning in April; one former employee said she was terminated for alleged insubordination connected to a deadline she said she had not been given. Nurses and long-term employees warned that outsourcing key clinical functions (MDS coordination, billing) and losing experienced staff harm resident care continuity and morale.

Council members said they had discussed the matter in a closed session earlier in the evening (personnel matters) and emphasized limits on the council's direct operational authority under the charter while acknowledging they would press the executive branch for information, consider periodic updates and explore options including a community advisory board or quarterly briefings. Speakers requested immediate steps: status on outsourcing, a community board, quarterly reports to council, and assurance the facility will not be privatized without public process.