An investment in the community
I urge Washington County’s commissioners to reconsider possibly selling the Washington County Health Center (WCHC).
Admittedly, I am the spouse of a WCHC employee, as well as the grandson of a resident at the facility. However, I wish to provide an objective argument on issues that may have yet to be examined.
Certainly, the financial losses over the previous few years cannot be overlooked. On the other hand, some businesses would consider their stakeholders and re-evaluate their practices to determine how operations can be improved.
Government-run health care is definitely a hot topic, and some county residents perhaps believe it would be best to sell the building to a private organization so that taxpayers no longer have to foot the bill for it. But how many have really thought about how the privatization of the nursing home could affect them? Many people are oblivious to the pitfalls of private nursing home care because they have not experienced it for themselves.
Within private nursing homes, you will notice a lack of staff which, undoubtedly, leads to poor patient care. Secondly, these staff members are often underpaid because of the high cost of health care and the need to make a profit. Surely, all work has dignity, but low pay goes hand-in-hand with feelings of being undervalued. Ultimately, the idea of employees feeling undervalued leads to not only poorer care, compounding what comes with understaffing, but also higher turnover, which increases costs.
With increasing health care costs and the low reimbursement rates Medicaid is providing, we see governments trying to pull out of the health care sector. However, there is always going to be a need for nursing facilities. As a society, we cannot ignore the reality of increasing lifespans and the impending flood of baby boomers requiring long-term care.
Finally, it’s time to acknowledge the elephant in the room – unionized labor.
Undoubtedly any business would have difficulties trying to stay afloat when faced with increasing union demands and lower reimbursements. However, I’m wondering how well the union is speaking for the employees it represents. I have heard that health center employees have been willing to make concessions in order to assist the county in maintaining the facility.
My family appreciates, and thinks quite highly of, what the county has done the health center – the opportunities it provides my wife as an employee, and the excellent, well-rounded care my grandmother receives. Whether those pushing for the sale of WCHC know it or not, the county’s continued investment in the facility is more than just an investment in the employees and residents there. It is an investment in the community.
Christopher Stiegel
Bethel Park