state WV pg 11 5-9-24
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- Category: Current Issue
caption:
CT State Representative Anne Dauphinais, right, and Westview Child Care Center Director Katy Holzer in a classroom at Westview Child Care Center.
DAYVILLE — Westview Health Care Center had a productive visit recently with the State of Connecticut’s 44th District State House Representative Anne Dauphinais.
Representative Dauphinais met with Westview Administrator/Executive Vice President David T. Panteleakos to discuss matters affecting the nursing home industry and to tour the brand-new Westview Child Care Center. Discussions included: an update on Westview’s operations and programs, the unprecedented pandemic residual impact on Westview and its residents, increasing community need for child care, and the ever-growing need for the State of Connecticut to adequately fund the Medicaid program for all providers.
One of the key elements of the discussion was the growing juxtaposition of regulations and reimbursements. There are understandable and necessary increases in employment costs, but unimaginable increases in the costs of providing care have also joined the raising of rates. The aforementioned underfunded reimbursement rates to providers and unprecedented inflationary costs are not currently being fully reimbursed by the Medicaid program.
Describing the architectural landscape on the Westview campus is no small task—but that is for very valid reasons. Westview Health Care Center is a 103-bed skilled nursing facility that also includes a wing for outpatient physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and aquatic therapy. In the structure of Westview Health Care Center, there is also a well-considered and well-created gym for sports medicine. Across the street from Westview Health Care Center is the 75-unit independent and assisted living facility: Country Living at Westview Commons. Adjacent to the main facility of Westview Health Care Center located across Ware Road is Westview Child Care Center, licensed for up to 76 students.
As part of its long-range plan to vertically integrate its operations, Westview Health Care Center invested in Country Living at Westview Commons to create a caring and comfortable community of seniors to live their silver years to the fullest. Westview Health Care Center invested in Westview Child Care Center to address the ever-growing demand for child care and to attract and retain valuable staff members at all Westview entities. During the conversation between Representative Dauphinais and Westview Executive Vice President David T. Panteleakos, they offered remarks about the complexities and challenges that nursing homes and other health care facilities face amid rampant inflation without proper private and government funding. Everyone agrees in concept with higher pay rates for all health care workers, higher staffing levels, and enhanced operational regulations—paired with proper funding.
Katy Holzer, Westview Child Care Center director, joined the chorus of collective praise for the visit from Representative Dauphinais. “We were thrilled to showcase to Connecticut State Representative Anne Dauphinais the success of Westview’s model of employer-based childcare. We designed Westview Child Care Center to address employment challenges while fulfilling our commitment to serving our community’s critical child care needs. Witnessing our bustling classrooms and growing waitlist, Representative Dauphinais echoed the pressing demand for quality child care in our area. With 42 eager families awaiting enrollment, we are excited to announce that we are expanding our impact by adding eight much-needed seats to our infant-toddler program. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Anne Dauphinais for her visit and her continued support of Westview’s mission to provide excellent care to an intergenerational family of clients.”
“It is always wonderful to visit David, and his wonderful staff of care providers at Westview Health Care Center,” said Representative Dauphinais. “Along with the tour of the new daycare center, which was fabulous, we also spoke of the many challenges that are facing healthcare across Connecticut and our country. As a member of the General Assembly’s Public Health Committee, it is important to me to have as much information as possible when voting on important healthcare related matters.”
Panteleakos said: “I am truly grateful for Representative Anne Dauphinais visit to Westview’s family of facilities. I am always impressed when a political leader of our community takes the time to visit in the field with their respective constituents to learn more about what is actually happening on the ground. Our message about nursing home reimbursement is that proper funding is essential and needed in order to meet the very regulations promulgated by our government agencies. Thank you to Representative Dauphinais for visiting and listening!”
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