Sullivan officials pleased with conditions at Sunset Lake Care Center

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Sullivan County Adult Care Center.

LIBERTY – In response to concerns aired by the public and legislators, Sullivan County Legislator Nicholas Salomone, chairman of the Health and Human Service Committee, led a group of officials on a surprise tour of the Care Center at Sunset Lake in Liberty.

“I wanted to see for myself how our employees and our consultant, Infinite Care, are serving our residents during a challenging time in the healthcare industry nationwide,” Salomone said. He  brought with him Sunset Lake Local Development Corporation Board member Albee Bockman and Teamsters Local 445 Business Agent Tom O’Connell.

“The first thing I wanted to do was see how it looks,” said Bockman, who also serves as an elected county coroner and has had years of direct experience with the Care Center through his private ambulance service. “The facility was spotless and odor-free on all floors.”

“I didn’t think we’d find otherwise,” said O’Connell, who is the union representative for many of the county employees who work at the Care Center. “There have been staffing challenges, but the dedicated crew that is there continues to ensure the health and safety of every resident.”

All three said the tour – led by a staff member, not an administrator – reaffirmed both the county legislature’s decision to hire Infinite Care and the consultant’s ongoing effort to attract and retain staff, a struggle that is currently endemic to the entire healthcare industry and particularly to supportive care facilities.

As a member of the Sunset Lake LDC, Bockman was part of the group which recommended Infinite Care to the Legislature as an operator of the Care Center – first as a consultant and soon as a lessee.

“Of all the firms we spoke to, it was Infinite Care’s CEO, Sol Klein, whose employees said they love working for him,” Bockman said, adding that he remains keenly interested in ensuring appropriate staffing levels are maintained.

“Infinite is the county’s partner in working to make the Care Center ever better,” Salomone said. “While it continues to be difficult to attract people to any healthcare job, they have been successful in recruiting staff and are working as hard as they can to fill vacant positions. From what I’ve seen, I feel confident the Care Center is in good hands and is headed in the right direction.”




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