Wicomico Nursing Home Keeps Four-Star Medicare Rating
Salisbury, MD - Wicomico Nursing Home in Salisbury, Maryland has retained its four-star overall rating from the federal government, County Executive Julie Giordano announced. The rating comes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which grades nursing homes on a scale of one to five stars.
The county-owned facility has been the subject of months of public criticism and debate over how it's being run. Giordano's office shared the rating in response to that criticism.
Medicare's Care Compare website, which anyone can look up, shows the nursing home with four out of five stars overall. It also has four stars for health inspections and three stars for quality measures.
CMS looks at three areas when it rates a nursing home: health inspections, staffing and quality measures. Under that system, a four-star overall score means a facility is doing better than average. Every nursing home is measured the same way, so families can use the ratings to compare one facility to another.
Giordano said the rating shows the nursing home is doing well, even with all the attention it has drawn.
"Despite all the political drama, false narratives, and attempts to paint this facility in a negative light, the facts speak for themselves," said County Executive Julie Giordano. "Wicomico Nursing Home remains a four-star facility. While some have spent their time creating controversy and questioning the direction of the nursing home, our administration and the facility's leadership have remained focused on what actually matters - our residents, our employees, and making meaningful, long-term improvements."
The rating news comes as the nursing home works to build up its staff. It now cares for 63 residents and has 118 active employees on the payroll.
Since the current leadership took over, 28 people have been hired. That includes 19 full-time and 9 part-time employees. Four more full-time employees are expected to start in the coming weeks, which would bring the number of recent hires to 32.
The county also has repairs lined up. After a needs assessment, Giordano plans to bring forward a budget amendment of about $1 million, which the Wicomico County Council would have to approve.
The money would pay for a new roof, HVAC equipment and kitchen equipment. It would also cover floor maintenance equipment, draperies and window shades.
Giordano said she's disappointed by how the nursing home has been treated in public debate.
"It is unfortunate that a facility caring for our elderly and vulnerable residents has become such a political football," Giordano said. "The constant negative rhetoric not only creates unnecessary concern among families, but also unfairly overshadows the hardworking employees who dedicate themselves to caring for our residents every single day."
She went on to talk about the people who work there.
"Those employees deserve our gratitude, not to have their workplace continually dragged through political controversy. Our residents and their families deserve accurate information rather than speculation and politically motivated narratives."
Giordano said her administration plans to make sure the public knows about the facility's federal ratings and the work being done there.
"We will make absolutely certain the public knows that Wicomico Nursing Home remains a four-star facility," Giordano concluded. "We are not claiming that everything is perfect, and we recognize there is always room for improvement. But the facts matter. The progress matters. And the dedicated employees and residents of this facility deserve better than having their successes overshadowed by political gamesmanship."
Giordano said her administration will keep working with the nursing home's leaders on staffing, building upgrades and day-to-day operations. She said the goal is to keep the facility safe and welcoming for the people who live there.
If you'd like to see the ratings for yourself, Wicomico Nursing Home's full profile is on Medicare's Care Compare website.
