IS POLLITT SELLING OUT WICOMICO NURSING HOME FOR CAMPAIGN DONATION?

Dear Editor,

While reviewing the donor list on Rick Pollitt’s campaign financial reports, I found a couple of donations that seemed very odd. The Berlin Nursing Home and Rehab Center has donated $1000. My first question was “why would a Worcester County facility donate to the Wicomico County campaign for County Executive” and then I immediately wondered “who owns the nursing home”? Continuing on in examining the donor list, I discovered another strange donation of $1000 from a Sovereign Enterprises, LLC in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Researching them, they are described as a healthcare industry medical supplier. Why would a corporation from Pennsylvania that deals with medical supplies contribute to a county executive race in little Wicomico County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore?

It didn’t take long to put the picture together about Berlin Nursing Home. It is owned by Mid Atlantic Health Care, LLC, whose principal owner is Dr. Scott Rifkin, the same man who has wanted to buy the county owned Wicomico Nursing Home. RICK POLLITT HAS ACCEPTED AT LEAST ONE SIZEABLE DONATION FROM SOMEONE THAT CLEARLY WANTS SOMETHING FROM THE COUNTY AND SOMEONE HE IS OR MAY BE IN NEOGIATIONS WITH. This has CONFLICT OF INTEREST written all over it. The jury is still out on who the Sovereign Enterprises donation is really from. Is

Dr. Rifkin associated with that donation too? A man of “unimpeachable integrity”, as Pollitt has described himself, should NEVER have accepted donations that don’t pass the “smell” test. This is QUESTIONABLE ETHICS and PERHAPS WORSE from County Executive Rick Pollitt.

Wicomico Nursing Home has a very rich history that I would like to share with you.

In 1960, Mrs. Agatha Polk presented the idea of building a Skilled Nursing Facility to her professional sorority, Beta Tau Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa. Mrs. Polk had an ill father who could benefit from the services provided in such a facility. The facilities in the area did not admit people of African American descent. Her vision was for a facility that would admit all people, regardless of race, color or creed.

Mrs. Polk approached John W. T. Webb, who was glad to help. Together they drafted a list of names of prominent people in the community to form a Board of Trustees. Over $500 was raised to begin the building fund at a “kickoff” dinner given by the sorority, In May 1961, the Nursing Home Project was incorporated. Finally on May11, 1965, the Board of Trustees awarded the construction contract to George Bert Cropper, Inc. He had submitted the low bid of $363,949 for a 50 bed nursing home. The dedication was held on June 20, 1966.

When the non-profit Board of Trustees ran into financial difficulty in 1972, the Wicomico County Council stepped up to take over the operation to avoid its closing. The non-profit corporation dissolved in September 1972.

Wicomico County has owned and operated the Wicomico Nursing Home since 1972.

Wicomico Nursing Home is known for its exceptional care and is the facility of choice by many. IT DOES NOT COST THE COUNTY A PENNY TO OPERATE. Why “fix” what isn’t broken? What possible gain is it to the County to sell it? Why would the Executive and his staff engage in negotiations to sell it at this time? Why would Pollitt accept $1000 (and possibly more) in donations to his re-election campaign from the man the County could be negotiating with?

Is this the kind of questionable ethics and poor judgement we want in Wicomico County? I sincerely hope not.