State Probe
See Thursday's edition of The Monroe Times for more information on the state investigation into violations at Lafayette Manor.
DARLINGTON - Lafayette Manor's administrator was suspended Friday, Aug. 31 amid "turmoil and negative issues" that include a state investigation into recent health violations at the county-owned nursing home.
Catherine Krentz, 60, has been "put on administrative leave," according to David Halloran, chairman of the nursing home committee for the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors. She started in the position in 2010.
A signed letter from the county committee, posted Friday at the Manor, announced, "In response to all the turmoil and negative issues surrounding Lafayette Manor, we have decided to make some very important changes ... Effective today, Cathy Krentz will no longer be the nursing home administrator."
Taking over for Krentz "until further notice" is Sherry Kudronowicz, administrator of the Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County.
The letter concludes by saying the committee "will be holding staff and resident and family meetings in the upcoming weeks to try to get back on the right track."
Halloran said Tuesday evening, Sept. 4, the committee is still deciding how to move forward and whether Krentz's dismissal will be temporary or permanent.
"It will be up to the Manor Committee to decide how to handle Catherine," he said. As of Tuesday evening, a public meeting to discuss the issue hadn't yet been scheduled.
Problems have plagued the Manor in recent years, including financial strain, a series of controversial firings and an increase in the number of annual citations from the Department of Health Services.
It is not unusual for nursing homes across the state to be cited during annual inspections. But the number against Lafayette Manor is unusual. In 2010, the facility received less than the state average of citations. In 2011, the number of citations against the Manor jumped to more than twice this average.
The state, in an ongoing investigation, threatened this summer to terminate the facility's Medicare and Medicaid participation in December if health violations were not addressed and corrected.
Another twist in the Manor's recent history came in mid-August, when Krentz was charged in Lafayette County Circuit Court with campaigning for a political ally, county board chairman Jack Sauer, on the clock and through her work email. The alleged offense is an ordinance violation and carries a maximum penalty of a fine. Her next court date is Sept. 24.
At a meeting early last week, the Manor Committee discussed in a closed session but took no action on a recent report from a state-ordered investigation conducted by the Madison-based consulting firm Apara Care.
A motion to consider changes based on this report "died for a lack of a second," said committee member Ron Niemann.
Both Niemann and Halloran declined to discuss details from Apara's report, citing privacy concerns. According to the meeting's agenda, the report contains "performance evaluation data of specific Manor employees."
At this point, Niemann said the Manor still accepts Medicare and Medicaid and "is working in response to the citations."
He explains the issues at Lafayette Manor as a general breakdown of communication between management, staff, hospital and doctors.
Niemann and Halloran say the committee has discussed the possibility of transferring ownership of the Manor from the local county government to a nonprofit model.
The option has "always been in the back of several people's minds," Halloran said. "It is a real good question: why is the county even in the health-care business?"
Nevertheless, he favors the county continuing its oversight and control of the Manor.
"It's the form of governance of the facility that we're most used to," he said.
Before 2009, he added, the facility was leeching hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. With the help of increased revenue, he said the Manor has turned around the financial drainage and balanced the budget for 2013.
A timeline to decide the future of the facility's ownership is up in the air.
"This could happen a month from now, one year from now, five years from now," Halloran said.
The next monthly committee meeting is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25 in the West Dining Area of the Manor, 719 E. Catherine St.
Catherine Krentz, 60, has been "put on administrative leave," according to David Halloran, chairman of the nursing home committee for the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors. She started in the position in 2010.
A signed letter from the county committee, posted Friday at the Manor, announced, "In response to all the turmoil and negative issues surrounding Lafayette Manor, we have decided to make some very important changes ... Effective today, Cathy Krentz will no longer be the nursing home administrator."
Taking over for Krentz "until further notice" is Sherry Kudronowicz, administrator of the Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County.
The letter concludes by saying the committee "will be holding staff and resident and family meetings in the upcoming weeks to try to get back on the right track."
Halloran said Tuesday evening, Sept. 4, the committee is still deciding how to move forward and whether Krentz's dismissal will be temporary or permanent.
"It will be up to the Manor Committee to decide how to handle Catherine," he said. As of Tuesday evening, a public meeting to discuss the issue hadn't yet been scheduled.
Problems have plagued the Manor in recent years, including financial strain, a series of controversial firings and an increase in the number of annual citations from the Department of Health Services.
It is not unusual for nursing homes across the state to be cited during annual inspections. But the number against Lafayette Manor is unusual. In 2010, the facility received less than the state average of citations. In 2011, the number of citations against the Manor jumped to more than twice this average.
The state, in an ongoing investigation, threatened this summer to terminate the facility's Medicare and Medicaid participation in December if health violations were not addressed and corrected.
Another twist in the Manor's recent history came in mid-August, when Krentz was charged in Lafayette County Circuit Court with campaigning for a political ally, county board chairman Jack Sauer, on the clock and through her work email. The alleged offense is an ordinance violation and carries a maximum penalty of a fine. Her next court date is Sept. 24.
At a meeting early last week, the Manor Committee discussed in a closed session but took no action on a recent report from a state-ordered investigation conducted by the Madison-based consulting firm Apara Care.
A motion to consider changes based on this report "died for a lack of a second," said committee member Ron Niemann.
Both Niemann and Halloran declined to discuss details from Apara's report, citing privacy concerns. According to the meeting's agenda, the report contains "performance evaluation data of specific Manor employees."
At this point, Niemann said the Manor still accepts Medicare and Medicaid and "is working in response to the citations."
He explains the issues at Lafayette Manor as a general breakdown of communication between management, staff, hospital and doctors.
Niemann and Halloran say the committee has discussed the possibility of transferring ownership of the Manor from the local county government to a nonprofit model.
The option has "always been in the back of several people's minds," Halloran said. "It is a real good question: why is the county even in the health-care business?"
Nevertheless, he favors the county continuing its oversight and control of the Manor.
"It's the form of governance of the facility that we're most used to," he said.
Before 2009, he added, the facility was leeching hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. With the help of increased revenue, he said the Manor has turned around the financial drainage and balanced the budget for 2013.
A timeline to decide the future of the facility's ownership is up in the air.
"This could happen a month from now, one year from now, five years from now," Halloran said.
The next monthly committee meeting is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25 in the West Dining Area of the Manor, 719 E. Catherine St.