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 readmit 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.”
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.
