Van Duyn Home and Hospital
SYRACUSE -- Onondaga County is looking for potential buyers for the Van Duyn Home and Hospital, a 513 bed nursing home that may soon be in financial trouble.
The County Department of Long Term Care sent out letters on November 12th to employees, residents and families of residents. The letters were meant to assure them of the process by which the county hopes to find a private individual or firm to acquire Van Duyn.
Sue Langley is anything but assured. She has a son who's been under Van Duyn's care for more than 20 years. "It's up for grabs." Langley told CNY Central's Jim Kenyon, "How do you know who's going to get it? Are they going to tear it down? What's going to happen to 500 people."
Roberta Sprague oversees Van Duyn as the County's Commissioner of Long Term care. She administers a $49-million dollar budget that provides nursing home and rehabilitative care to 500 people with 600 employees. Sprague says the County has just put out RFQ's or Request For Qualifications to individuals or companies who may want to acquire the sprawling facility. "It will be a nursing home. People will not be asked to move out of this facility. It will continue the traditions that Van Duyn has offered for over 180 years." Sprague said.
The idea of selling off or privatizing Van Duyn was quietly approved by County lawmakers during the budget process last month. It was Chairman Jim Rhinehart's idea who says the problem is that Van Duyn mainly relies on Medicaid reimbursements which can no longer pay the bills. "Van Duyn has used up its fund balance. At the end of next year, it's projected to have very little fund balance left. That's the concern. It's not a crisis now, but it could be in another year." Rhinehart explained.
Both Rhinehart and Sprague emphasized that whoever the County may select, such an acquisition must be approved by the New York State Health Department after a lengthy review.
Mark Kotzin of the CSEA, which represents 400 Van Duyn workers, says the union opposes efforts to privatize the county's biggest nursing home facility. "There's a lot of frustration and certainly there's a lot of people wondering just how these services are going to be provided if the facility is sold off."
Kotzin says the CSEA will meet with the workers at Van Duyn next week.
EARLIER COVERAGE:
A letter that went out to residents and families at Onondaga County's Van Duyn Home and Hospital on November 12 has created concerns over whether the county-owned nursing home will be sold off.
The letter informs them that "a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is being issued the week of November 15th... seeking individuals and/or firms who may be interested in the potential acquisition of Van Duyn Home and Hospital."
The letter assures people that the "priorities of the County in evaluating these firms or individuals are to maintain the health and safety of all Van Duyn residents and to continue to meet long term care needs... In a manner that minimizes the financial impact on County taxpayers."
The idea of potentially selling off Van Duyn came up during last month's budget review. Legislature Chairman James Rhinehart and Legislator Robert Warner directed the County Division of Purchase to put out the RFQ.
Commissioner of Long Term Care Roberta Sprague has deferred questions to the County Executive's Office. The letter includes a phone number (435-7975) at which people can leave their contact information and questions about the RFQ process.
Van Duyn is a 526 bed nursing home run by Onondaga County. It is located next to Community General Hospital.
Click here to download and read the letter to Van Duyn residents and families. Also, click here to visit Onondaga County's Van Duyn RFQ webpage.
