Nazareth, Pennsylvania — One of Pennsylvania’s largest county-run nursing homes has been knocked down another rung on the state’s licensing ladder, and county leaders are now bringing in outside help to steady the ship.
Gracedale Nursing Home, a 688-bed facility in Upper Nazareth Township owned and operated by Northampton County, was moved from a Provisional II license to a Provisional III license by the Pennsylvania Department of Health. County Executive Tara Zrinski broke the news to county council during its regular meeting Thursday night.
What Triggered the Downgrade
The move follows two September surveys that documented serious lapses in resident care, according to state inspection reports.
In the first, inspectors found the facility failed to properly monitor a resident with a documented swallowing problem who was supposed to be watched closely at every meal. On July 25, another resident handed the man a piece of a sandwich. He began choking that evening, turned pale grey, and had to be taken to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with acute respiratory failure with hypoxia. He returned to Gracedale roughly a week later. The facility has since ordered one-to-one meal supervision for the resident and reworked his diet plan.
The second incident involved a resident with osteoarthritis and an above-the-knee amputation whose physician had ordered two staff members for every transfer. On September 19, a nurse aide moved her from the toilet to a wheelchair alone and “let her slide down,” fracturing a bone in her foot, per the report. Transfer orders have since been reviewed facility-wide and retraining is underway.
A Steep Slide Over 18 Months
Gracedale first landed on a provisional license in 2025 after being cited seven times in a single year, including an incident in which a nurse assaulted a patient. It slipped to Provisional II over the summer after two residents left the facility unnoticed. Each step down the provisional ladder carries higher state fees — the latest move raises the facility’s licensing cost from $600 plus $6 per bed to $800 plus $8 per bed.
Zrinski said patching individual problems isn’t the answer. “We must also examine the systems that allowed additional problems to occur,” she said, adding that the county intends to hire a consultant to review policies, procedures and resident care plans.
The facility is also losing its administrator. Michelle Morton resigned effective Thursday, with assistant administrator Christina Casey stepping in as acting administrator. County leaders say quality ratings matter just as much as staffing levels when families choose a home, and Gracedale’s public perception problem is now one of its biggest hurdles.
Zrinski downplayed the chance of a closure but wouldn’t rule anything out. “We are going to remain vigilant and not say never,” she said.
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