2 THE DALLAS POST, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 1984
Meadows officials
Members of the Operating Committee and staff of the Meadows Nursing Center are shown here.
From left, Attorney Sol Lubin, president of Ecumenical Enterprises Inc.; Thomas J. Sweeney,
W. Tinsley Sr.,
anniversary of operation on August 31.
personnel with an annual payroll in excess of $1.1 million.
Beth Roe. Absent at the time of the photo were committee members Nathan Schiowit, Dr. Ellis.
Roberts and Philip Tuhy.
A report on accomplishments and
activities during the first year of
releaded by Thomas J. Sweeney,
Administrator.
The report was presented to the
Center’s Operating Committee - a
group of five individuals from the
Board of Directors of Ecumenical
enterprises Inc., a local non-profit
corproation that owns and manages
the Meadows Geriatric Campus.
The Committee has the task of
overseeing the Center’s total opera-
tion.
One of the major changes since
opening, Sweeney explained, has
been the shift from a mixture of
skilled and intermediate care to a
totally skilled care operation. The
change, he noted, was not only the
result of the Center's desire to
provide more diversity of care but
also was a reaction to the recent
change in federal funding regula-
tions that require the residents to be
categorized intolspecific Diagnostic
Related Grous or DRGs. Sweeney
advised that these regulations
changes have placed great pressure
on the acute care hospitals in the
treatment and discharge of patients
and concomitant changes for
extended nursing care facilities to
accept and treat the discharge
patient who must recuperate slowly.
Since opening its doors officially
on Aug. 31, 1983, the Nursing
operations at the Meadows Nursing
Center in Dallas was recently
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Center, Sweeney noted, has admit-
ted 270 residents. Presently all 120
beds at the totally skilled nursing
facility are occupied. In analyzing
the number further, Sweeney stated
that the Center was proud of its
extensive rehabilitation program
that has permitted 120 of the pre-
viously admitted residents to return
to their homes and the community.
When queried about the rehabili-
tation program by the Committee,
Sweeney explained that the physical
therapy program has expanded
from just restorative care into
maintenance care. Under the lead-
ership of Mrs. Judy Harding, Direc-
tor of Nursing, the maintenance
care has been taken directly to the
resident floors, and certain nurses,
trained in this particular field,
follow through on a daily basis with
the therapy program.
The Center has also expanded
services to include intravenous ther-
apy, hyperalimentation, and respir-
atory therapy. In assessing the suc-
cessful discharge rate for the year,
Sweeney stated that much of the
credit must be assigned to the
expanded therapy program and cap-
able staff.
Sweeney then discussed the
advances the Center has made in
the area of staff development and
training.
Although such training is a State
requirement, Sweeney explained
that the Meadows has gone a step
beyond and assigned Diane Valesha
of the nursing staff to be responsible
for coordination of the overall pro-
gram.
Also, the Center was fortunate
during the past year to have
received a donation from the Dallas
Women’s Club which was used for
the purchase of videocassette
recording equipment. This equip-
ment, Sweeney stated, is used net
only for staff training purposes but
also for the entertainment for the
residents.
As a final “note to his review,
Sweeney commented that the
Center is considering an expansion
program with the primary objective
of providing more activity space for
the residents. He explained that the
plans are only in the formative
stages and will be reviewed in more
detail with the Operating Commit-
tee and EEI's Board in the future.
Continuing on to other accom-
plishments, Sweeney noted that the
AREA AAW
See
FREY
4
a a
Center has had a significant impact
on the local economy by providing
work for over 140 full-time and part-
time employees with a total annual
payroll in excess of $1.1 million.
Other sizeable economic effects rip-
pling out from the Center’s opera-
tion is the increase in purchases of
food, medical housekeeping, and
laundry equipment and materials.
from local vendors which totallé
closed to $800,000 for the year.
In the field of community involve-
ment-and volunteer services, Swee-
ney commented that tremendous. {
support has already been demon-:
strated by the more than 60 volun-~
teers now serving at the Center as
friendly visitors, feeding ‘assistants,
transporters of residents to activi-* |
ties, physical therapy, physicians’:
visits, and much more.
mm
In addition to the volunteer pro-*
gram, the Center is in the process of:
forming an Auxiliary organization.
Sweeney noted that Mrs. Catherine
Bolinski of Dallas has offered her
services to spearhead the formation
of the Auxiliary, and a meeting of
the core group for organization was
scheduled for September 11.
Commonwealth Telephone Enter-
prises, Inc.” (CTE) of Wilkes-Barre
has been awarded a contract by the
Pennsylvania Department of Gen-
eral Services to provide all commu-
nications services including system
designs, engineering and equipment
installation for state facilities in 12
counties through 1984.
The contract was obtained by
Commonwealth Communications,
Inc., CTE’s communications group,
which specializes in providing busi-
ness communications and informa-
tion management for government,
industrial, institutional and com-
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17 other potential suppliers.
The counties are Potter, Tioga,
Bradford, Susquehanna, Clinton,
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Union, Montour, Columbia and Luz-
erne.
Commonwealth Telephone Enter-
prises is known for its application of
digital computerized telephone
equipment and fiber optic transmis,
sion lines. CTE, a diversified provid
der of communications products and,
services through its telephone, com-
munications and cable television,
groups, had 1983 operating revenues
and sales of $97.9 million. y
state-of-the-art technology such » |
Pennsylvania’s auto insurance
industry is offering a free copy of
its brochure - “Pennsylvania’s New
Auto Insurance Law’ to consumers
to explain the commonwealth’s new
auto insurance system.
The new Motor Vehicle Financial
Responsibility law takes effect Octo-
ber 1, and policyholders will receive
detailed information from their-
insurance company when the next
regular billing notice arrives.
The brochure descibes the new
law and the coverage choices avail-
able. Copies are free to individuals;
and non-profit groups, and costs 4
cents a copy for quantity orders to
profit organizations. Copies are
available from:
— The Insurance Federation of
Pennsylvania, 1560 Suburban Sg
tion Building, Philadelphia,
19103. ry
— Pennsylvania Association of:
Mutual Insurance Companies, 111
State Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101.
Hotline in use
A toll-free telephone hotline is,
operating (as of August 20) to-
answer consumer questions about.
Pennsylvania's new auto insurance-,
law. v-
The number is 1-800-222-1750. !
The hotline will operate weekdays
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
1
CONTINUING EDUCATION OFFICE
PENN STATE WILKES-BARRE
Lehman, PA 18627