Challenges facing GOCH addressed

The significant and persistent challenges facing nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the state and across the nation are clearly present in local impacts here in Perkins County. The longstanding commitment to nursing home care within Golden Ours Convalescent Home (GOCH), as an important component within Perkins County Health Services – has been of increasingly difficult concern over the past several years, and of significant note currently.
All aspects of evaluation have been at hand with the PCHS Board, consistently throughout many tenures of the board over the past 2, 4, 6, 8-years. The presentation of some leadership transitions, and the advent of upcoming Board Member transitions have clearly identified open occasions for serious review and discussions to be taking place – routinely.
Most recently, the PCHS Board held a special meeting on this subject matter on January 31, directly on topic. From the official minutes of this meeting are included the following:
The challenges being experienced clearly are nothing unique, as across the country between serious staffing shortages, the significant COVID impacts, declining resident numbers, etc, all being experienced. Facility closures continue to take place across the state, and nationwide – particularly in rural areas, with aging facilities and scarcity of staff. All aspects of this openly recognized by meeting attendees, yet the efforts at hand to avoid Golden Ours succumbing to these pressures – clearly the reason for this meeting.
Alongside these challenges, the general level of care is also acknowledged to continue to have increased over the years. Elderly folks and their families are seemingly of strong motivation to remain in their homes, often with some outside care secured in providing assistance. While widely recognized as very sincere and logical motives, this certainly does shed light on the persistent challenges in operating facility-based care and services.
The timing of this special session of the board also presented news that Jody Lobner, as the Director of Nursing of Golden Ours for the past six-years has determined to resign her position as D.O.N., effective March 1. The strength of Jody’s steady commitment and the consistent full effort she has given the facility throughout her entire tenure is clearly recognized to present a serious void with nursing leadership and on-floor duties ahead.
Following the January 31 Board meeting, the PCHS Medical Staff meeting on February 8 provided the next direct opportunity for further discussion. Some very similar themes came from this medical staff session, as noted in the official minutes:
Many aspects of the ongoing and persistent challenges with all nursing home facilities were referenced – primarily the staffing challenges across the board with all levels of nursing services. RNs, LPNs, CNAs, med aides all continue to be in desperately short supply locally, regionally, nationwide. Nicole Anderson being present, addressed a variety of ongoing challenges in maintaining a reasonable staffing schedule and the growing dependence on agency staffing options. All of these demands have been significantly accentuated with COVID impacts, alongside the ever increasing acuity level and typical care needs of nursing home residents. Consistently more care needed… while scarcity of available staff has grown more pronounced.
John Long and Neil Hilton referenced that the board had indeed recently held a Special Session specifically on this subject matter on January 31 – an open meeting posted as such. Dr. Colglazier noted he and Dr. Demmel had duly participated in that meeting and were acknowledged to have been specifically prompted to attend. Neil also referenced that the board had held a Special Session directly on this subject matter last September and this subject matter had been established by the board as a standing agenda item as a part of every regularly scheduled open board meeting since last June 2021.
As was also referenced at this point in the discussion, the current composition of our five-member PCHS Board will come to a conclusion in June. At a minimum, two new board members will be duly elected via the May 10 Primary date and sworn into the seats being vacated by Mary Jo Gengenbach and Dick Thurin. Neil expressed that this scenario has created a sense of urgency within the current Board – to give full consideration of all options regarding the future of nursing home operations. The June time frame becomes of clear reference under the determinations of the current PCHS Board.
Since the January 31 and February 8 meeting occasions, the PCHS Board has held regular meeting duly posted February 21 – at which time once again, more open discussion and updated review of all aspects of Golden Ours operational and staffing status were featured of significance on the posted agenda. Again to note that this has been a standing agenda item of the PCHS Board of Directors at each and every official meeting since June 2021 – nine consecutive meetings, plus two special sessions duly called on this topic.
In having commanded this degree of review, analysis, and ongoing evaluation – a committee has now also been established to tackle these issues with more deliberate effort and determination. This committee is openly intent to determine if PCHS is in a position, with the support of the Community of Grant and the entirely of Perkins County, to put forth full faith and confidence behind clearly identifiable ability to have Golden Ours legitimately sustained into the future. This effort will also coincide with Dana McArtor, as the very embodiment of nursing leadership within Perkins County Health Services, to be serving as Golden Ours Interim Director of Nursing, effective March 2. The charge of the committee has already engaged and will take command of the month of March to work through every aspect and all elements available to its full discretion, in working alongside and in support of ultimate determinations to be made by the PCHS Board, so noted. Committee members include: Dr. Cliff Colglazier, Dana McArtor, Julie Bevard, Dr. Ruth Demmel, Nicole Anderson, Taylor Maucher, Dr. Shane Banks and Neil Hilton.