SALISBURY, Md. - Family members, former employees, health officials and county leaders packed First Baptist Church in Salisbury on Monday night for a town hall focused on growing concerns surrounding the Wicomico Nursing Home.
The meeting brought together people who have spent weeks raising questions about staffing, employee departures, communication and patient care at the county-owned facility. It also gave County Executive Julie Giordano an opportunity to respond directly to many of those concerns in the same room.
One of the recurring themes throughout the meeting was staffing.
Wendy Caitlin, who has been involved with the nursing home as both a family member and volunteer, said she agrees with some changes implemented by new nursing home administrator Tina Foskey, including limiting cellphone use during work hours, reserving parking near the entrance for visitors and modernizing some processes.
However, Caitlin said she believes staffing changes have affected activities and other services.
"There's just not enough staff to get them down there for the activities," Caitlin said.
Caitlin also challenged the way recent employee departures have been discussed publicly. Giordano has repeatedly said three employees were terminated since Foskey took over earlier this year.
Caitlin agreed three people were fired, but said that figure does not account for other employees who have resigned, retired or announced plans to leave. She listed several positions she said have been affected, including nursing, dietary and administrative roles.
Former employee Dolores Jones-Peters made a similar argument later in the meeting.
"Many can only recall that there were only three. But the truth is there were 14 and four months," Jones-Peters said.
The county administration has disputed claims that the nursing home is understaffed and has said the facility is meeting required staffing levels.
Mary Ashanti, another person who spoke during the town hall, said she believes employees are doing what they can with the staffing available.
"They're doing the best that they can. They can't do the job of two people," Ashanti said.
Communication was another major concern.
Dr. Patricia Johnson, who told the crowd she has spent more than two decades caring for older adults and has worked as a medical director, said communication between leadership, staff, doctors and families is critical to building trust.
"Communication is what is key," Johnson said.
Johnson said more explanations surrounding recent changes could have made the transition at the facility feel less uncertain for employees and families.
"Perhaps different communication, more communication, more explanations would have all made it feel less uncertain and threatening," Johnson said.
Giordano attended the town hall and continued to defend Foskey and the changes made under the new administration. Members of the panel said Foskey received and declined an invite to participate in the town hall.
Giordano also gave additional details Monday about the three employee terminations, saying the state recently reviewed issues at the nursing home and that the county could have faced fines if the personnel actions had not been taken.
Giordano said one of the terminated employees was accused of verbal abuse involving a person receiving care at the facility. She said another employee was terminated after repeatedly failing to file an incident report in a timely manner.
Jones-Peters later read portions of her termination letter to the crowd and disputed the county's characterization of how her case was handled.
Jones-Peters said she was accused of failing to properly notify leadership after a person fell from a wheelchair, briefly lost consciousness and showed possible seizure-like activity. She told the crowd emergency medical services and a physician were contacted and said she reported the incident during a morning meeting.
She argued that she followed the procedures she understood to be in place and questioned whether she was given appropriate due process.
Giordano continued to stand behind Foskey, telling the crowd the administrator is qualified and has a strong relationship with state officials. She acknowledged that some people in the room are unhappy with the direction of the nursing home but said attacking the administrator is not productive.
Giordano also said she has visited the facility and recently met with people living there.
Despite the disagreement, Giordano said she believes everyone involved shares the same basic goal.
"The good news is we all want what's best," Giordano said. "We all need to get in the same boat and grow together. That's what we need to do."
The concerns have also drawn attention from state health officials.
Wicomico County health director Matthew McConaughey said Maryland's health secretary asked him to attend Monday's meeting after complaints and concerns reached the state level.
"This is not just a concern here locally. This is also a concern all the way up to the Secretary of Health," McConaughey said.
McConaughey said he attended primarily to listen and report concerns back to the state. He also discussed a recently passed state law requiring additional notification to local health officials when certain complaints or investigations involving potential harm at nursing homes are opened.
County Council members also discussed proposed emergency legislation that could create an additional oversight board or commission for the nursing home.
Council President John Cannon said the proposal was developed after council members began receiving calls and hearing directly from community members about concerns at the facility.
"You need a board of directors or a commission to keep track of this on a regular basis," Cannon said.
Giordano said she agrees there should be additional oversight but believes portions of the council proposal conflict with the county charter, particularly provisions involving personnel authority.
She said the legislation could lead to legal action if approved.
The debate over the legislation will continue in September, but Monday's meeting showed that concerns surrounding the nursing home extend well beyond county government.
For much of the night, the focus remained on the people who say they have worked at the facility, cared for family members there or watched the nursing home serve Wicomico County for years.
Many left the meeting still calling for more communication, greater transparency and continued attention to the quality of care inside the facility.
