Sunnyview outsourcing laundry services to save money
Butler County officials have agreed to outsource laundry services at the county-operated Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in order to improve the cash-strapped facility's finances.
The home has moved from an in-house laundry service with 11 employees to outsourcing to the state prison in Somerset. SCI-Somerset charges 40 cents per pound for linens and 80 cents per pound for personal items, said Bill Kepple, Sunnyview fiscal director.
The contract, approved at Thursday's Sunnyview board of governors meeting, will save the 220-bed nursing facility about $250,000 a year, said Sue Murray, Sunnyview administrator.
The new system began Monday starting with miscellaneous linens such as curtains and washcloths, and has been running smoothly, Murray said. Sunnyview officials will include all linens and personal items in a few weeks after the system has been in place, she said.
The outsourcing is the latest step to bring the finances of the center under control. Sunnyview has lost money every year since 2003.
A financial evaluation recently was completed by accountants Carbis Walker and is scheduled to be presented by former Allegheny County Executive Jim Roddey at the county commissioners' meeting Jan. 20.
For December, the home averaged 213 residents, about 97 percent occupancy, according to the report.
Through Nov. 30, the nursing home had an overall deficit of nearly $450,000 but posted a profit for its operating revenue. Sunnyview ended 2008 with a $1 million deficit.
"It looks like the year will end up better than projected," Kepple said.
Another source of funding may become available after Sunnyview officials meet with representatives from the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania on Tuesday to learn about the rules and availability of about $6.4 million in grants.
At the board's meeting last week, members brainstormed ideas for how the funds could be used if Butler County were selected.
One idea was an on-site dialysis clinic so patients would not have to be taken by ambulance or wheelchair van to another site. It costs the county $60 per ride for a wheelchair van and about $200 for an ambulance. Most dialysis patients need to be treated at least three days a week, according to the board.
Four patients needed dialysis last week, said Heidi Coyle, director of nursing. If a clinic was built on site, it also could be made available to the public.
Funding also could be used to switch nurses' records from paper to wireless systems. Wireless computer monitoring systems can improve efficiency and increase the amount of time nurses can spend with a patient, said county Commissioner Jim Lokhaiser.
Such a system can cost from $225,000 to $350,000, said county Commissioner Dale Pinkerton, who chairs the board.
Another suggestion was paving the parking lot near the home where many nursing home employees park, Lokhaiser said.
