CHASE BOTTORF/THE EXPRESS Susque-View Home Nursing and Rehabilitation is expected to be privatized under new owner, Allaire Health Services, by March.

LOCK HAVEN — By March, Susque-View Home Nursing and Rehabilitation will be under private ownership.

The Clinton County Commissioners approved the sale of the facility for $12.5 million to Allaire Health Services of New Jersey during its meeting Thursday.

The facility, a non-profit organization, has been under the perview of the commissioners — who serve as trustees –since 1968 when the facility was handed over from the former Lock Haven Hospital.

The sale is expected to be finalized in March, with Allaire entering into a management agreement for the facility on Feb. 8. The facility is currently managed day-to-day by third-party Quest Healthcare. Quest, which has changed hands and merged with other organizations over the years, has managed the facility since 1977 when it was under the name Diversified Health Services.

The 95 staff members employed at the facility will remain at Susque-View even after the transition is complete.

“You’re not going to notice a change in that,” Snyder, who serves as trustee chair, said.

Snyder expanded on his statement, noting the facility will go through physical changes including renovations. “New wall paper, painting, things like that. They’ll be doing that almost immediately,” he said.

Ensuring staff had the option to remain employed at the facility was a major part of the decision making process, Harding, vice chair of the board of trustees, said.

“If we didn’t believe that staff were going to be secure, have more opportunities, and better opportunities, we may not have moved forward with the idea to sell. The current market for skilled nurses is competitive. A non-profit has a very difficult time competing for available talent. Susque-View has been reliant on agency nurses for quite some time,” Harding said. “We needed to make sure the folks who live here, are raising their families here, and work there are going to have employment and the possibility of a bright future.”

Upgrades for the facility and offering better wages to employees were not possible as a non-profit, Kessinger, who serves as secretary for the board of trustees, said.

Since 2020, the facility has struggled with staffing and upkeep which was something the commissioners took into consideration when approached by Allaire in mid-2020.

“We were not actively seeking to sell,” Snyder noted. “But when approached, we decided to give it consideration. We feel that it is becoming more and more difficult for a non-profit facility to be sustainable.”

The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it challenges that included staffing and ensuring residents receive the best care, Snyder said.

“We are one of the few counties left in the Commonwealth that still owns a nursing home” Kessinger said. “With the way that healthcare has changed and become more specialized, we feel the time is right. Years ago, it was required in County Code to provide a nursing home. That requirement is no longer mandated.”

Once the sale is finalized, the commissioners said the $12 million will go right into the county’s budget. However, it isn’t earmarked for anything in particular.

Harding noted these funds could serve as a buffer against future tax increases if invested properly.

Overall, the sale won’t have an affect on the county.

“The county owns the building, the property. It has not managed it for 35 years,” Kessinger said.

Kessinger said the $12.5 million sale amount was chosen after the building and property were appraised.

Allaire’s President and CEO, Ben Kurland, and members of his staff attended the commissioners meeting Thursday both in-person and virtually.

Kurland said the challenges Susque-View has faced are similar across the country and that Allaire hopes to help improve the facility’s already commendable services.

“We see such opportunity there (Susque-View). The staff is amazing,” Kurland said. “I commend the commissioners and other members of the community. They’ve done a stellar job of making sure residents get the care they deserve.”

Along with improving care at the facility, Kurland said he hopes Allaire can create a partnership with UPMC Lock Haven.

Allaire owns five other facilities including Grandview Nursing and Rehabilitation in Danville.

Ann McLaughlin, RN and Admissions Director at Grandview, spoke on her own experience with Allaire.

McLaughlin said she was already employed at Grandview when Allaire took over operations of the facility in 2018.

There was an initial fear that she and other staff at the facility had when they learned the news, she said.

However, the support the facility has gained through the take-over has outweighed these doubts.

“In September 2020 when we had an outbreak of COVID-19, Allaire sent staff from New Jersey to help in the kitchens, with residents, anywhere,” she said. “They brought incredible resources we never had before.”

Susque-View has been a part of Clinton County for over 50 years, having been owned by the Lock Haven Hospital in the early 20th century.

Between 1967 and 1968, the county commissioners and representatives of the hospital first began discussions regarding a joint venture. At the time, officials saw a need for improved facilities in the community. At the time, Susque-View was located on Susquehanna Avenue.

In March of 1968, the county appointed a home building committee that included all three commissioners and county home staff. In 1972, after years of discussion, obtaining grants and plans, the current facility was constructed on Cree Drive.

The commissioners are hopeful that Allaire will be able to continue the level of care and commitment that has been on-going since 1968.

“Many families and a couple of generations have called Susque-View home for their loved ones. We truly believe that by transitioning to private ownership, the residents, their families, and our community will have Susque-View to call home for many more years to come,” Harding said.

Before making a public announcement, Snyder, Harding and Kessinger along with Allaire representatives met with staff to announce the sale and answer questions. Residents’ families were also sent correspondence about the change.

Susque-View provides 146 beds for long term and short-term stays and offers several rehabilitation options. In 2021, the average daily census was approximately 100 residents. Susque-View also offers a very popular indoor atrium that has a waterfall and koi pond, an on-site beauty shop, a recreation room with a fully equipped kitchen, a gift and snack shop, a chapel, backyard terrace, and a covered patio area with an outdoor fireplace.