On December 18, 2008, a New Era article headed “How Our Nursing Homes Rank” reported:
“A majority of Lancaster County’s 32 nursing homes are performing above average in health inspections, staffing and quality, new federal ratings of all 16,000 facilities nationwide show…
“Countywide, 18 nursing homes scored four or five stars – above average and much above average. The five-star homes are: Calvary Fellowship Homes; Fairmount Homes; Landis Homes; St. Anne’s Retirement Community, and United Zion Retirement Community.
“The four-star homes are Conestoga View…”
On March 3, 2013, a Lancaster Sunday News article entitled “Nursing homes get report cards” reported:
“Eighteen county homes earned either five stars (much above average) or four (above average); four got three stars (average); and nine received two stars (below average) or one star (much below average)…
“Conestoga View [was] among those scoring 1 out of 5.”
Earlier on July 30, 2011 under the heading “Final chapter in Convention Center Series: Betrayals of public trust”, NewsLanc opined:
“Arthur E. Morris, former Lancaster city mayor and Sunday News columnist. Morris, more than anyone, kept the Conestoga View issue in the press with a fusillade of criticism for the county commissioners. His concerns about the future of the facility in private hands did not come to pass; instead, Conestoga View was able to maintain, and even improve, the quality of their services.”
We have no idea of the cause for this recent decline in state rating. It could be the need to skimp on services due to reduced governmental subsidies or clients inability to pay more. It could be slack management. Or there may be other factors. Nor do we know whether the same would have occurred under county ownership
Whatever the reason, former Mayor Art Morris opposed the sale in part on the grounds that service to the clients would decline. It has.
At least for the moment, time has proved Morris right and NewsLanc wrong.
