For the last thirty-five years, St. Mary’s Care Center has been one of the largest and most respected long term care facilities in its community. Fifteen years ago, a special Alzheimer’s unit was established in the care center. Recently, St. Mary’s expanded its services by starting a much needed adult day care center. In working on a long-range plan, the senior management team has been discussing the possibility of adding independent living apartments and assisted living unites. In this way, St. Mary’s would provide the entire continuum of services for seniors. In fact, the president/CEO has had a number of inquiries about the availability of independent and assisted living apartments at St. Mary’s.
When this idea is presented to the Board of trustees, trustee Dave Thompson is the only one to raise a question about the prudence of St. Mary’s expanding in this way. He points out that such services are already being offered by two other facilities in the community. The Methodist Home built independent living apartments twelve years ago, and in order to care for residents aging in place, added a limited number of assisted living units five years ago. Then there is Sunset Village, a new for-profit assisted living apartment complex.
Rather than St. Mary’s building independent and assisted living apartments which would essentially be in competition with these other facilities, Dave suggests that senior management explore “partnering” with either the Methodist home or Sunset Village (or both) to provide the continuum of services needed by seniors. He envisions a collaboration among facilities within the community that would assure seniors of a seamless movement from independent living to assisted living or adult day care and finally into long-term care. In his mind, this would be a more efficient use of resources and would free up money to remodel and update the long-term care center for which St. Mary’s is recognized in the community.
The board chair suggests returning to discussion of Dave’s recommendation at the next meeting, and asks St. Mary’s President/CEO to compile some background information for board members. However, several board members immediately raise possible concerns—compatibility of mission and values, the insurance plans for employees of both potential partners (they cover contraception, sterilization and abortion), consistency with the ERDs, and Sunset Village’s reputation for its business practices, especially around admissions, pricing, and its treatment of employees.
(This case has been adapted with permission from Janine Idziak, Organizational Ethics in Senior Health Care Services, Dubuque: Simon & Kolz Publishing, 2003, p. 198).
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