Pennsylvania Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
Last week, Butler County hired a real estate firm to evaluate the possible sale of Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, the county-owned nursing home.
Although the commissioners agree that the home is a valuable resource to the community, the numbers tell a different story. According to an article on TribLive.com, it is expected to lose $1.5 million this year, and has lost $7 million over the last decade.
The sale of county-owned nursing homes is a trend that’s not unfamiliar to Pennsylvania. According to the Pennsylvania Association of County Affiliated Homes, there was at one time 50 counties that ran nursing homes. Now that number has decreased to 29. Some counties have left the nursing home business for financial reason. Others, like Lackawanna County, have sold their nursing home because of liability issues and the complications of running a nursing home. In the case of Lackawanna County, the county was sued when a resident, who was left on the toilet for 2 hours, fell off and died 2 days later.
According to the article, if the Butler County commissioners do decide to sell Sunnyview, they could be approached by as many as 10-15 companies who would be interested in buying it, the beginning of what could be a lengthy turnover process.
As attorneys who handle nursing home neglect cases, we only want what is best for the residents when a transition like this happens. We’ll keep an eye on this situation.