Lake County Health Board discusses future of Winchester House
When Cindy Hahn could no longer care 24-hours a day for her elderly parents with Alzheimer's disease, Winchester House in Libertyville was the only viable option.
After trying numerous area nursing homes, Hahn put her parents on a waiting list for 8 months to get them into the county-run skilled nursing facility. The care they received before they died was the best, the Libertyville resident said.
"They are very attentive over there," Hahn told a county committee tasked with deciding the facility's future. "It would be a real tragedy if the particular staff there were to be disbursed. They work as a team."
Several people, including a few Winchester House residents, made the case for why the nursing home is needed.
The Lake County Board's health and community services committee reviewed pros and cons of three options for the home's future, but made no decision Tuesday.
Options include closing it entirely; upgrading the existing building for $13 million; or replacing it with a smaller 175-bed facility for about $31 million.
Of the facility's 360 licensed beds, 249 are now occupied.
It was the option to close Winchester House that generated the most concern.
"Winchester House is kind of a big family," said Frank Costa, 56, an 8-year resident of the facility. "They are like your best friends in the world. It's hard to say goodbye to the place."
Closing it would free up an estimated $3.7 million annually in the county's general fund that could be used for other priority budget items.
However, that would also mean ending a service the county has provided since 1847, and laying off 280 full-time employees -- some have worked there for 30 years.
"There's a lot of uncertainty at the facility now," said Matthew LaPierre of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31. The union represents about 140 Winchester House employees, including nurses, certified nursing assistants, maintenance and food service workers. "The morale is kind of low because they don't know what the future holds."
Some committee members said they want to avoid county board divisiveness that accompanied a decision on nursing home layoffs two years ago.
Committee members lean toward building a new facility. However, all three options and a resolution to build a new Winchester House will be considered by the county board committee of the whole Aug. 14.
The health and community services committee will make its recommendation Sept. 4. The issue will go before the full county board for a final vote Sept. 11.