The administrator of Gracedale Nursing Home has resigned, according to a news release from Northampton County.
Michelle Morton has served as head of Gracedale since April 2025 and has led the county-run nursing home during a challenging time. She officially steps out of the position effective Nov. 12.
“We appreciate Ms. Morton staying on during such a tumultuous time in Gracedale’s history and the knowledge and patience she brought to the role,” Northampton County Executive Tara Zrinski said in a statement. “As we transition to the Continuum of Care, her departure provides a fresh start and an opportunity to reevaluate leadership at Gracedale and build the team that will carry this mission forward. Our focus remains on our residents, supporting our employees, and building a stable, sustainable future for the people who depend on us.”
Gracedale’s assistant nursing home administrator, Christina Casey, will serve as the acting nursing home administrator following Morton’s departure while the county searches for a permanent replacement.
Morton’s tenure as administrator was marked by significant challenges and attempts to steer the nursing home in a new direction. In 2025, Gracedale was cited seven times by the Pennsylvania Department of Health, including for an incident where an agency nurse who had only recently started working at the facility attacked a resident claiming they had demons inside them. Gracedale was also placed on a provisional license by the state of Pennsylvania and has not yet returned to full licensure status. Gracedale also currently has a one-star rating on the federal government’s Medicare Compare website.
In 2026, Gracedale has seen comparatively fewer incidents that resulted in citations; however, there have been several serious ones involving residents leaving the facility, bringing prohibited items into the facility, a resident choking, and a resident falling. In response to all of these incidents, Gracedale implemented correction plans that were accepted by the state.
When she previously spoke to The Morning Call, Morton said that many of the issues outlined by the state were reflective of pre-existing problems at the nursing home, and not her leadership.
Morton had decades of experience in long-term care homes before she joined Gracedale.
Since she was appointed, Gracedale has instituted a more rigorous admissions process that closely examines whether the facility is able to meet a potential resident’s care needs. Morton previously told The Morning Call that when she started working as administrator, Gracedale had no such system and was accepting all admissions, which led to patients with severe mental needs that the facility could not meet.
Gracedale has also taken steps to reduce the population of patients, find existing residents with needs beyond their scope new homes, improve the culture within the facility, hire more supervising nurses, offer more competitive wages and reduce its reliance on agency staffing. At a recent county oversight committee meeting, Morton said the facility has already reduced agency staffing hours from a peak of around 75% in 2025 to just above 50%.
The county also recently appointed Tom Carson as the county’s first director of continuum of care, a role in which he is helping improve and stabilize operations at Gracedale.
“Our priority throughout this transition is to maintain continuity of care for our residents while providing our employees with the leadership and resources they need to succeed,” Carson said in a statement. “We have an opportunity to build on Gracedale’s foundation, address ongoing challenges, and establish a sustainable path forward that meets the evolving needs of our residents and the community.”