Nurses and service and maintenance workers at Albany County Nursing Home, located in New York’s Capital Region, have agreed to a contract that will not only provide annual raises, but also has effectively saved the county-run facility from going out of business. The Albany County Legislature is expected to give the final seal of approval to the agreement in July.

The government-run nursing home has been losing money annually. It is a story that goes back more than a decade, as previous and current county executives and legislators have proposed plans to privatize or even close the home altogether. For over 10 years, the residents, caregivers and all of their families have lived with uncertainty about what would happen next. Much of this is because local budget pressures and a changing world of healthcare reimbursement have meant that county governments no longer want to be in the health care business. In fact, of the more than 40 county-owned nursing home facilities in New York, five have closed and 13 have been sold in recent years; many have been privatized within the past 12 months.

Current Albany County Executive Dan McCoy proposed that the county privatize the home, but with much organized pushback from 1199SEIU members, resident families and the entire community, the legislature refused and instead passed legislation to create a local development corporation (LDC) which is taking over operations.

"The workers give beyond the call of duty every single day. They are the real heroes of this story," said Maureen Aumand whose brother is a resident at the nursing home.

Donna McBean, an 1199SEIU delegate and RN for more than 20 years said, “We have been working and living without knowing what will happen from one day to the next. McCoy and the nursing home’s new administrator who will oversee the LDC said that without some changes to generate savings, there would be no choice other than shuttering the place.

“So we stepped up. Some workers schedules will change from 37.5 hours to 35 hours. But, everyone gets a raise. No one has had any raise in more than 6 years.”

McBean said that some workers also gave up differential pay for weekend shifts. “These things were hard to take, but on the other hand, we keep our health insurance and our pension, and we have jobs. That is a saying a lot during a time when the entire nursing home industry is troubled. Our nursing home is going to stay open.”

Under the LDC, the workers remain county employees. Albany County officials still maintain control over the corporation, as an accounting tool used by governments to address fiscal issues.