Mary Wanger 
Oct. 23, 1992 
Mary E. Wagner, 92, Of Overbrook Road, Dallas, Formerly Of Dushore, Died 
Friday In The Leader Nursing Home, Kingston.

Edward Marconi 
Oct. 21, 1992 
Edward J. Marconi, 70, Of South Hancock Street, Wilkes-barre, Died Wednesday 
Afternoon At Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Plains Township.

Friday, October 23, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1D QUICK WORDS: VALLEY CREST 





MEETING -- Joyce McNamara, director of the Pennsylvania Department of
Health's Division of Long-Term Care, meets with county officials Thursday
about thge Valley Crest nursing home. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The county will extend the contract of aconsulting firm for staff training
at Valley Crest &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; By JIM VAN NOSTRAND &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Times Leader Staff Writer &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WILKES-BARRE -- Three top state Department of Health officials trekked to
Wilkes-Barre from Harrisburg and Scranton Thursday morning at the invitation
of the county commissioners to talk about Valley Crest Nursing Home behind
closed doors. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Commissioners Frank Crossin, Rose Tucker and Jim Phillips said the
hour-long session reviewed the county's actions following Valley Crest's
negative state inspection in August. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All three commissioners described the session as positive and amicable.
They said the state officials praised corrections made by the county after
receiving the inspection report, including the hiring of a consulting firm to
train Valley Crest employees. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The state was extremely pleased with the swiftness of our actions in
getting our training team on the premises to work with (Administrator Robert
Reed) and his staff," Crossin said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The commissioners wanted to make sure the state knows the county is
concerned about the Valley Crest situation, Crossin said, and get ideas for
avoiding future problems. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The state officials could not be reached for comment following the meeting.
They were Joyce McNamara, director of the Department of Health's Division of
Long-Term Care; Jean Roman, a district supervisor who works in the
department's Scranton field office; and Peg McMillan, the Long-Term Care
division's Eastern Pennsylvania supervisor. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Among other things, they recommended that Valley Crest conduct quarterly
in-house inspections on its own and continue to provide in-service training
classes for its staff, the commissioners said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The consulting firm, Susquehanna-American Associates Inc., will have its
contract modified and extended to allow for still more training at Valley
Crest, the commissioners said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Susquehanna-American was paid $17,500 for a five-week contract, which
recently expired. The terms and length of the new contract have not been
decided, but the commissioners said it will not be for as much. They said they
envision a more limited role, with key personnel from the firm coming in on a
periodic basis. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ronald Gabriel, Susquehanna-American's president, attended Thursday's
meeting. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Phillips said the county's biggest training challenge is to keep up with
increasingly stringent regulations governing nursing homes such as Valley
Crest. The officials conveyed the message Thursday that those regulations will
continue to be highly enforced by the state, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tucker said the officials praised the nursing home's staff and
characterized training as the biggest shortcoming. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "She (McNamara) felt we need to continue to take a preventive approach by
educating and reeducating the staff," Tucker said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Valley Crest Administrator Robert Reed was at the meeting and accompanied
the three officials on a brief tour of the facility afterwards. He referred
all questions to Crossin.

State And County Officials Huddle On Valley Crest Photo Times Leader/richard Sabatura At The