We Need Gracedale

As you all know, next Tuesday, May 17th is Primary Election Day. For those of you that live in Northampton County, you will be voting on a referendum close to my heart.......Gracedale. As some of you may know, my mother suffered a debilitating stroke in November of 2008. She was left paralyzed and with no speech. After almost 2 months in the hospital and then an acute care facility, I was faced with finding a nursing home for my mother. After my relentless searching and the work of a caseworker, no private facility in the Lehigh Valley was willing to accept my mother. All had their own excuse as to why they would not. Some stated they had no beds available and some said they did not have a respiratory therapist on duty 24/7 to deal with my mothers tracheotomy. In the end, Gracedale, the County Nursing Home for Northampton County was the ONLY nursing home to accept my mother, to my amazement with NO respiratory therapist on staff at all. My father has been a lifelong resident of Northampton County (82 years) and my mother since they married 62 years ago! They still lived in the same home that they built almost 60 years ago and paid their taxes to Northampton County like most hard working residents do. Neither had high salary jobs but worked their whole life to provide for their daughters and do their due dilegence of paying taxes. I have for the past 8 months asked Northampton County Council and Northampton County Executive, John Stoffa what I would have done if Gracedale was not a County Home that was in the end, willing to accept my mother. I am still waiting for an answer!!! PLEASE PLEASE on May 17th, remember this story when you vote because many of you can be left in this same type of situation. Nursing homes are not just for our senior citizens.....unfortunately I have seen many young people that have either had tragic accidents, debilitating medical conditions or have used poor judgement by using drugs. This situation affects young and old! I am asking that you vote YES on Tuesday, May 17th to keep Gracedale County owned and away from big business privatization that worries only about the bottom line profit! FYI......Independent voters can vote for the referendum Tuesday, so get out and vote! Thanks for reading

Donna