McFadden Manor Nursing Home

PrintCouncil denies retirement for McFadden staff
By Francis Brown / Correspondent
Thu Jul 02, 2009, 04:45 PM EDT
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Malden - Employees at the soon-to-be shut down McFadden Manor will not be able to receive early retirement as the City Council’s vote on Tuesday night was deadlocked at 5, and thus, the motion of whether or not to send the paper to the state legislature failed.

During the Ordinance Committee meeting prior to the council meeting, committee members listened to reports on what the city would have to do and how many employees of McFadden Manor would be affected by the decision.

The issue has to do with those employees that are not yet 55 years of age, but who have worked at McFadden Manor for over 20 years. The six to nine people at McFadden Manor who meet this requirement would be able to receive early retirement, which the city would pay for.

While the numbers are not definite, if the council had voted in favor of the motion and the state legislature had passed the paper, the city would have to pay between $70,000 and $100,000 a year over 20 years or between $140,000 and $200,000 over 10 years.

This uncertainty over what financial impact the decision to grant early retirement to the employees would have on the city is what kept many councilors from voting for the motion.

Ward 6 Councilor and Ordinance Committee Chairman Neil Kinnon voted against the motion citing this uncertainty.

“I am not against taking care of people,” said Kinnon during the meeting. “My challenge with this paper is that we do not understand the financial consequences of it.”

Fellow committee member and Ward 8 Councilor Judith Bucci echoed Kinnon’s concerns.

“These are the most difficult decisions to make,” said Bucci. “But based on the fact that we don’t have the actual numbers on this, I can’t put my arms around it.”

Bucci also had reservations about giving early retirement to the employees of McFadden Manor while those who have been laid off in recent months were not given this opportunity.

This comes on the heels of the city’s decision not to give $1.2 million to McFadden Manor last month, essentially shutting down the nursing home. This decision was still fresh in the minds of some councilors when it came time to vote on Tuesday.

Ward 7 Councilor and Ordinance Committee member Neal Anderson stated that he was aware of the financial uncertainty, but was still in favor of the motion.

“We do have uncertainties about the financial impact, but we owe it to them to do what we can to help them through this transition,” said Anderson.

Ward 3 Councilor Paul DiPietro, also on the Ordinance Committee, called out the city to provide for the employees before the vote.

“I believe it’s incumbent upon the city to be a responsible employer,” said DiPietro.

One of the main reasons for shutting down the nursing home was the poor condition that it is currently in. However, while the conditions have not been up to par, the care of the patients by the employees has been top-notch. Still, it came back to the financial uncertainty that the city would face during a time when its budget was just cut by $6 million.

“I understand that they’ve done a tremendous job for the community over the years,” said Ward 2 Councilor Paul Condon of the efforts of the employees at McFadden Manor, “but I can’t vote for the unknown.”

This decision brought much disappointment to the employees of McFadden Manor who were in attendance. Kathleen MacDonald is one of the few employees that would have been able to opt for the early retirement plan had it been passed as she is not yet 55 years of age but has been employed at McFadden for 25 years.

“I’m very disappointed with the council’s vote,” said MacDonald, who spoke to the Ordinance Committee about the hardships she currently faces caring for a disabled son and a husband who recently had surgery.

“There were inaccuracies stated,” she added, citing the comment that there are other employees in the city that are in the same position as the employees of McFadden Manor. “There’s a big difference,” she said, referring to the comment.

She said that she appreciated the support from the councilors who voted in favor of the motion, but was disappointed that there was not a public forum for proponents of the early retirement plan to voice their opinions in front the entire council.

Mc Fadden Manor Closinng

a sad day in Malden Ma when the City Council would not vote appropriation cto keep the facility open and the Mayor closed it cleaning out the 28 patients calling it home are to be displaced.

Pace Program

The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a capitated benefit authorized by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) that features a comprehensive service delivery system and integrated Medicare and Medicaid financing. The program is modeled on the system of acute and long term care services developed by On Lok Senior Health Services in San Francisco, California. The model was tested through CMS (then HCFA) demonstration projects that began in the mid-1980s. The PACE model was developed to address the needs of long-term care clients, providers, and payers. For most participants, the comprehensive service package permits them to continue living at home while receiving services rather than be institutionalized. Capitated financing allows providers to deliver all services participants need rather than be limited to those reimbursable under the Medicare and Medicaid fee-for-service systems.

The BBA established the PACE model of care as a permanent entity within the Medicare program and enables States to provide PACE services to Medicaid beneficiaries as a State option. The State plan must include PACE as an optional Medicaid benefit before the State and the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) can enter into program agreements with PACE providers.

Participants must be at least 55 years old, live in the PACE service area, and be certified as eligible for nursing home care by the appropriate State agency. The PACE program becomes the sole source of services for Medicare and Medicaid eligible enrollees.

An interdisciplinary team, consisting of professional and paraprofessional staff, assesses participants' needs, develops care plans, and delivers all services (including acute care services and when necessary, nursing facility services) which are integrated for a seamless provision of total care. PACE programs provide social and medical services primarily in an adult day health center, supplemented by in-home and referral services in accordance with the participant's needs. The PACE service package must include all Medicare and Medicaid covered services, and other services determined necessary by the interdisciplinary team for the care of the PACE participant.

PACE providers receive monthly Medicare and Medicaid capitation payments for each eligible enrollee. Medicare eligible participants who are not eligible for Medicaid pay monthly premiums equal to the Medicaid capitation amount, but no deductibles, coinsurance, or other type of Medicare or Medicaid cost-sharing applies. PACE providers assume full financial risk for participants' care without limits on amount, duration, or scope of services.




Downloads
PACE Fact Sheet [PDF 65 KB]

Fact Sheet for Beneficiaries [PDF, 60KB]

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