The Wicomico County Council deserves our gratitude for introducing emergency legislative bill 2026-11 at their August 18 meeting. This proposed bipartisan bill will provide new oversight and much needed protection for the Wicomico Nursing Home and its residents.
Until recently, the Wicomico Nursing Home has represented the gold standard of eldercare that many of our friends and family members have come to rely on across the region.
Over the past few weeks, hundreds of concerns from patients, family members, former as well as current employees have come forward with deep concerns about the deterioration of patient care and workplace cohesion. I’m hopeful that this bill’s creation of a new nursing home oversight commission will bring greater transparency and accountability to the facility.
This issue is deeply personal to me, and I hope that the next county council continues its commitment to protecting our elders and most vulnerable community members.
I want to thank Delegate Sheree Sample-Hughes for her passionate, proactive involvement in suggesting many of the vital reforms that the council ultimately adopted.
For more information on this issue, residents can attend the upcoming community forum on the Wicomico Nursing Home that will be held on Monday, August 31 at 6 pm at First Baptist Church on Booth Street.
Joe Venosa
Candidate for Wicomico County Council (District 7)
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
