PGLTC Garners Another 5-Year Contract

The Pinal-Gila Long Term Care has been awarded another 5 year contract from the State of Arizona & it is not just a matter of past performance. Long Term Care Director Barbara Zwiener can attest to that fact.

Zwiener said that winning the $250 million competitive bid from the state involves lengthy hours of paperwork that may seem tedious, but it shows the capabilities of the Pinal-Gila Long Term Care (PGLTC) staff.

"It was a competitive bid," Zwiener said. "No one bid against us, but we had to apply as a competitive bid." The proposal to continue providing care to the nearly 1,300 residents who are elderly, frail or physically handicapped came to 300 pages. "We had to answer 61 questions," commented Zwiener. "Each of the questions took a member of our staff 1 to 2 days to research & write the 3 page answer." The questions ranged from financial projections, future plans & responses to scenarios.

PGLTC has been providing services within Pinal & Gila Counties since 2001. While facing the challenges of providing quality care to an ever growing population, Zwiener says that finding new & innovative ways to serve 2 rural counties also tasks her staff. Some of the ways that the staff has answered the need for services is pay those family members who stay at home & provide care for those who qualify.

Upon learning that PGLTC received the quarter of a billion dollars contract, Supervisor Sandie Smith said she was pleased that the State recognized the superior service the organization offers. "When you get our most vulnerable, like our elderly," the Supervisor said, "you provide service from the heart. They provide a terrific level of service & it keeps people employed locally."