Monroe County's nursing home will soon have a new owner.
It was announced today that Pleasant Valley Manor in Snydersville will be sold.
The county run nursing home is privatizing its operations after 100 years due to increasing costs to operate.
But we're told the change will ensure it will continue to serve the community for many years to come.
The name on the sign will most likely change as Outcome Healthcare takes over Monroe County’s nursing home in Snydersville. But we’re told the family-owned company is expected to keep everything else the same at Pleasant Valley Manor, including retaining all of the staff.
Monroe County Commissioners Chairman John Christy says, "You still have another place for viable healthcare for elderly people in Monroe County. We don’t take this haphazardly, we want to make sure that we have the ability for people to go for rehab and go for extended stay services."
The decision to privatize in its 100th year operating was reached by the board of trustees after facing complex fiscal challenges following the covid pandemic.
Christy says, "When you have a set amount that you get paid and your costs are up here, you know in the past we’ve been more than happy to supplement a million dollars to PVM, but unfortunately it’s more than that now and so it’s just too much of a drain on the taxpayers of Monroe County."
Back in 2013 the facility was also operating at a loss. But a new fundraising organization was introduced that kept it from being sold. Today the chairperson of Friends of Pleasant Valley Manor is saddened by the news.
Friends of Pleasant Valley Manor Chairperson Linda Zak says, "I just wish the public could have been given some notice and had the chance to voice their opinion on this because it is a publicly owned facility. And it would’ve been nice if we had gotten hundreds of petition signatures again."
Over the years the group raised funds for many renovations, upgrades and new equipment.
Zak says, "I think the whole country is going towards privatization of everything and I don’t think that’s right. I think this was a good facility to keep and I’m really jealous because I just heard in Northampton County, they are really investing big time into their nursing home."
But unfortunately we’re told the board exhausted all of their options and the dollars needed could not be made up by grants or fundraising.
Christy says, "If we hadn’t had the ability to have the American Rescue Plan and have everything else, it would’ve had to have been sold earlier or shuttered."
Friends of Pleasant Valley Manor still has thousands of dollars that they planned on spending on the 100th anniversary. Now they’re looking at donating the money to Monroe County Children in Youth.