Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center might use $110,000 in grant funding to become a wireless facility.

The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania approved the use of the money to upgrade the nursing home located off Morton Avenue in Butler Township.

Sue Murray, Sunnyview administrator, said at a board meeting Thursday a switch to wireless would enable the nursing home to electronically access hospital lab results of residents, eliminating cumbersome faxes.

"We're trying to to respond to what hospitals want," she said.

Heidi Coyle, Sunnyview nursing director, said the conversion would reduce the overall amount of paperwork processed.

"It will definitely streamline the documentation," she said.

A wireless system also would expedite the use of an electronic nurse paging system.

County Commissioner Dale Pinkerton, board chairman, said such technological advancements are inevitable.

"It's coming," he said.

Before a wireless system can be installed, the building would have to be converted.

To make Sunnyview wireless, miles of cable would have to be installed.

Dr. William DiCuccio, Sunnyview medical director, said 12 miles of wiring would be needed based on what he needed for his former medical practice.

The first step in the proposed conversion also would take a significant chunk out of the total grant. Murray said the adaptation could cost up to $30,000.

CCAP would pull the $110,000 from a $6.4 million pool of money created by Cambria County's 2009 sale of the Laurel Crest nursing home.

Cambria originally received funding from CCAP to renovate Laurel Crest. By selling the nursing home within a few years of the project, Cambria was obligated to repay a portion of that funding.

Commissioner Jim Lokhaiser said it's fortunate the funding became available to other counties.

"This $110,000 could be a godsend," he said.

Unlike his colleagues, Commissioner James Kennedy is unconvinced the conversion is a good idea.

Kennedy said a wireless system would be easier to hack into.

"Is wireless the right thing to do?" he asked. "We certainly don't want to put our data in jeopardy."

While considering a major upgrade to Sunnyview, the county is addressing more basic infrastructure needs.

Murray said the roof above the two-story section of the Sunnyview building needs to be replaced.

"This spring, it's really been leaking," she said. "They (the maintenance crew) patched it up as much as they could."