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Stanford Health Care-ValleyCare plans to close its skilled nursing facility in Livermore at the end of June, but a number of other medical services currently offered on the campus will be supplemented or expanded in the facility’s place.
There have been no in-house patients at the skilled nursing facility since late April when local, state and federal guidelines for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prompted Stanford-ValleyCare to postpone all elective and non-urgent procedures and temporarily suspend operations in many of its clinical facilities “with an unknown timeframe for reopening,” according to officials with the hospital system.
“This specific decision to limit admissions was made out of an abundance of caution and to ultimately reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission to a vulnerable, high-risk population within a congregant living environment,” Denise Bouillerce, spokesperson for Stanford-ValleyCare, told the Weekly.
Though the pandemic is credited as the reason for suspending operations at the 26-bed facility, Bouillerce said, “Over the last several years, the facility has had declining patient volumes, and has not had any patients in the unit since April 24.”
As a precaution, ValleyCare has declined to re-admit patients to the skilled nursing facility in the future. Bouillerce added, “By maintaining another congregant living environment within the community we would unnecessarily be contributing to the increased COVID-related risks associated with this vulnerable population.”
Instead, patients will either be managed at the hospital for post-acute care, discharged home if appropriate, or referred to another local skilled nursing facility in the preferred network developed by ValleyCare’s case management team.
“This network will serve our patient populations extremely well given the new realities that we face as healthcare delivery organizations during COVID-19,” Bouillerce said. “There are an adequate number of skilled nursing facility beds within the Tri-Valley community to meet the demand for patients seeking that level of care.”
Stanford-ValleyCare plans to soon add to its services in Livermore as well pain management specialists are being brought into the chronic pain clinic, and the organization is expanding its orthopedic care program. A pulmonary clinic serving people with minor to acute issues is also in the works.
The Livermore campus continues to offer urgent care, diagnostic imaging, outpatient and ambulatory surgery, cardiac rehabilitation, and a number of programs for physical therapy and sports medicine, and also houses several labs, a pharmacy and doctors offices.
ValleyCare Charitable Foundation, which supplements numerous services and programs including advanced cancer treatment, cutting-edge technology and equipment for the emergency department and cardiac surgery, has also made the site its home. Local nonprofit Open Heart Kitchen and Spectrum/Meals on Wheels have space there as well.
The skilled nursing facility’s 40 staff members received 30 days paid notice and severance packages for medical and vision benefits. Some employees may be eligible to transition into new roles at Stanford-ValleyCare.
In response to this article, the reason There were no patients since April 24, is because the administration asked that all the patients be discharged, so the Skilled Nursing Facility, would not have the Stanford name associated with Covid 19, and be in the news for staff or patients having Covid. The administration was never honest with the staff when they continually asked when the SNF was going to re open. One day staff is working, next day they are laid off, there was no 3O days notice, there was 2 days given to get your MD apts or medication because 2 days later, their insurance was cut off. Staff was never informed that they had to spend the flex money on the same day as the lay-off ( 5/28/20). There was no medical coverage for 30 days it was 2 days. The insurance was cut off June 1,2020. The Valley Care SNF was a 5 star facility with perfect state surveys every year with no deficiencies. Staff was so confused and blindsided by being laid off, and the decision to close the Skilled Nursing, especially since the Administration worked with the CDC to prepare 6 rooms to be Covid 19 ready. The administration spent a lot of money to paint the rooms, with hepifilters and negative pressure rooms, even created ceiled doors to protect staff and patients. There have been several articles regarding the hospitals bailout money received ,that have come out since the lay offs, in which Stanford is included in the articles, that clears up the reason why Stanford administration made the rooms Covid ready and approved by the CDC. The reason IS because Stanford and the CEOs received millions of dollars in bail out money, and there was extra money for being Covid prepared. 44 employees with each over 10-15 years experience at Valley Care SNF, was laid off, with no medical coverage, just cast aside, with no assistance and guidance from HR. There was no offer or availability for any employees to work at Stanford/valley care, the list of jobs were ALL at the Palo Alto campus.
So what the public needs to know, is the 5 star excellent SNF facility is now not an option for patients to go to for rehab or IV medication. And the truthful reason is because Stanford Administration did not want their name to be associated with Covid and be in the news, even though Stanford received millions of dollars in bail out money for being Covid prepared to take Patients. And the extremely loyal 44 employees were laid off with no warning, and without any of the benefits that has been stated Stanford administration. How is the staff supposed to use their flex money or medical insurance in just 2 days especially when this was never properly explained during the 15 min time allotted for each employee to be told your laid off? One min you have a badge and your working, and the next your told the SNF is closed, and here’s your severance package. Staff was even told they couldn’t talk in the lobby, couldn’t stay by their cars and talk in the parking lot, and the police was called to make the staff leave,” your no longer welcome to be here” This is deplorable, that staff were treated like this, and Stanford and CEOs got millions of bail out money for being Covid ready.