SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – Now to the nursing home situation we’ve been following in South Hadley, bounced paychecks and poor working conditions at Pioneer Valley Rehabilitation Center and other facilities owned by Blupoint Healthcare and now they’re under state receivership.
The South Hadley nursing home dealt with a slew of issues including bounced checks ultimately not being paid for weeks. One of the workers Western Mass News spoke with today told us they have now been paid up to date and the new receiver seems to be taking them in the right direction, however they are fearful what could happen if Blupoint takes back control.
Now that three of the four Blupoint Healthcare owned facilities across Massachusetts have been put under a receivership Western Mass News spoke with one of the staff members at Pioneer Valley Rehabilitation in South Hadley to see how things are going so far.
The worker we spoke with Monday wishes to remain anonymous, and told us although it’s a work in progress things at the nursing home seem to be going in the right direction.
“We have noticed an increase in staffing, which is wonderful and an increase in supplies which it was definitely needed,” one staff member explained, “The morale is better at the facility. The patient seemed more relaxed. They’re still not sure what’s going on, but they’re definitely more reassured than they were prior to the receivership.”
At the request of the Attorney General’s office, a court ordered receivership of the facilities was granted almost two weeks ago amid claims of neglect by Blupoint putting 300 long term care patients’ health and wellbeing in jeopardy.
As Western Mass News has been reporting for weeks, the nursing staff at these Blupoint owned facilities had dealt with bounced checks for months ultimately going weeks without pay. However the staff member we spoke with told us they have finally been paid all of what they were owed and she told us the state receiver has been very transparent with them so far.
“He had some great ideas and you know I appreciate he was at that meeting and was open to the staff took any questions people had that’s better than what we had in the past,” one staff member noted.
However based on court documents obtained by Western Mass News, attorneys for Blupoint Healthcare asked a Superior Court judge last week to change the arrangement so that the state would just monitor its operations instead of being under a full receivership.
“That’s petrifying for myself,” one staff member expressed. “If that happens I definitely there is no way I can continue in the facility just the stress level I mean, I just don’t think I could do it and I know others feel the same because you can’t run a facility not even just one facility but many facilities into the ground like that and expect for them all of a sudden say oh geez, let me try to you know figure this out no that should have happened a long time before this.”