New nursing home recommended
Winchester House may get a new lease on life if the Lake County Board supports a panel's recommendation to replace the aging Libertyville nursing home with a smaller facility nearby.
That was the unanimous recommendation of the county board's seven-member health and community services committee Tuesday.
The committee considered three options: closing Winchester House entirely; upgrading the existing building for $13 million; or building a smaller nursing home for about $31 million.
Winchester House has been a drain on county resources and has not reached full capacity in years. Though licensed for 360 beds, the facility can likely operate only 326 beds. Presently, 252 residents live there, and occupancy is expected to decline in future, officials said.
Closing it would have freed up an estimated $3.7 million annually in the county's general fund. But committee members were firm about continuing a service the county has provided since 1847.
A new facility -- officials are proposing 175 beds -- would be funded through bonds paid off over 20 years with operating revenues and property taxes, said Dusty Powell, assistant county administrator.
"We can operate this facility within the projected revenues and the projected property tax that was passed by the voters," Powell said.
The county would have to file a Certificate of Need with the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board to build a new nursing home. That process could take up to 18 months. It likely would be four years before a new facility is operational.
The recommendation for a new facility should give hope to Winchester House's roughly 300 employees, said Jamie Weibler, Winchester House director.
"The (final) vote, if it's positive, could do incredible things for morale in the building," he said.
Weibler said officials expect to maintain staffing levels at the same ratio of 8.5 residents to one certified nursing assistant in a smaller Winchester House. There has been no discussion about layoffs, he added.
"We'd like to handle that through attrition if at all possible," he said.
Winchester House advocates say they are encouraged by the committee's recommendation.
"Some of the key issues continue to be how many beds will be sufficient," said Michael Knight, representing Lake County United, a coalition of 37 churches, synagogues, mosques, nonprofit groups and unions. "The needs of seniors are enormous and continue to increase."
The committee also recommended the county study the possibility of building a separate 60-unit supportive living facility to complement the nursing home and provide a continuum of care for an extra $12 million.
The county board's financial and administrative committee votes at 1 p.m. today to recommend or deny the Winchester House resolution to the full county board. A final vote by the 23-member county board is expected at 9 a.m. Tuesday.