Pennsylvania Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Blog
With the future of Friendship Ridge Nursing Home in Beaver, PA in jeopardy, protesters gathered outside last week’s Beaver County commissioners’ meeting to try and convince the commissioners to keep the facility county-owned.
In December, county commissioners asked the union workers at the home to develop a plan to save $5 million from the nursing home’s budget to keep it from being sold to a private company. The union was able to come up with a plan, but according to county commissioners, an independent auditor says the amount that the union’s plan will save is much less.
According to an article on Pittsburgh.CBSLocal.com, one woman at the meeting expressed concern for her husband, who is a resident of Friendship Ridge, “My husband can’t speak, so I have to speak for him. I live in the neighborhood, I can go everyday by bus to see him. If you take it away I won’t be able to see him.”
Union reps at the meeting also expressed concerns if the home goes into private hands, “Standards will decline, quality of care will suffer and this community will lose good quality jobs that is desperately needs.”
After the meeting, nearly 50 workers protested in front of the court house.
According to the article, Beaver County commissioners should have a decision on whether Friendship Ridge will remain county-owned by the end of March.