Pine Valley administrator outlines staffing plan, visa hires, EHR RFP and solar credit effort

The Pine Valley administrator (name not specified in the transcript) told the committee she is pursuing several operational initiatives intended to stabilize staffing, raise census and modernize clinical systems.

Staffing and visas: the administrator said the facility had originally planned for 12 foreign hires but reduced that to six because of current census and housing responsibilities during visa processing. Committee members asked about visa types; one participant said it sounded like H-1B. The administrator outlined responsibilities the facility will bear while visa holders are trained (housing, food, transportation) and said employment contracts typically run between one and three years. "We were supposed to get 12, but I've reduced it to 6 just due to the census," she said.

Recruitment and census: administrators described outreach to hospitals and social workers to increase referrals and private-pay admissions; the facility reported current occupancy around 80
81% and total census days that reflect a modest decline year over year. Staff said they are working with referral sources to raise private-pay census days.

Electronic health record (EHR) procurement: the administrator presented a draft request for proposals for a new electronic health record and revenue-cycle system, emphasizing that whatever system is chosen must be able to exchange data with other local health systems and provide hands-on implementation support for staff. She said some vendors (point-of-care vendor referenced) declined in-person demos, which her team found unacceptable. The RFP will be revised and returned for board review and approval.

Solar project and credits: staff said they submitted an initial application for federal solar tax credits and are exploring options to qualify for additional credit amounts by sourcing U.S.-made materials; a finance staffer is assisting with the application and vendor negotiations.

Survey follow-up and corrective actions: the administrator reviewed the facility's recent state survey, describing two quality-of-care tags related to medication/medication labeling and life-safety findings tied to fire-stopping penetrations and a non-UL-certified surge protector found in the lower-level data room. The facility submitted a plan of correction that the surveyor initially accepted; staff later received an additional information request and expect the back-and-forth to continue for several weeks.

Next steps: the administrator will revise the RFP and return it for committee review, proceed with planned recruitment and visa processing, and continue work on solar-credit materials in coordination with finance. Staff will report back on census, recruitment outcomes and the RFP timeline at a future meeting.