County raises rates for Valley Hi Nursing Home

Living in McHenry County's Valley Hi Nursing Home will become a more costly proposition for some seniors beginning next month.

The McHenry County Board approved a measure Tuesday to raise daily rates for some residents between 9 percent and 15 percent, depending on their level of care, the home's first rate hike in nearly 12 years.

Board members, however, narrowly rejected plans to enact similar increases on Jan. 1, 2009, and again on July 1, 2009. The board will revisit those proposals later this year.

The rate increases apply only to residents not receiving Medicare or Medicaid assistance, which typically is between seven and 10 residents at any given time. But, under a second measure approved by the board Tuesday, officials hope to bring the number of residents who pay their own way up to 20.

Supporters of the increase said it is an unfortunate reality given the rising costs of running the 127-bed facility near Woodstock.

"I hate to bring prices forward, but this helps fund the nursing home for people who can't afford to pay," board member Jim Kennedy said.

Most board members endorsed next month's rate change, but enough opposed the proposed increases in January and July 2009 to derail them, at least temporarily. Opponents said they fear raising rates too much too soon may cause the county to lose sight of Valley Hi's primary purpose: Providing a nursing facility to seniors who cannot afford a private home.

"This is a county nursing home and we're supposed to be taking care of the indigent," said Mary Lou Zierer, chairman of the board's Valley Hi Committee. "I don't think we're considering them."

The second measure approved Tuesday, officials said, is intended to raise the facility's revenue from nongovernment sources by doubling the number of residents who pay for themselves, at least until their personal money runs out.

"We want to balance having indigent care without the county home sucking the county dry," board member Tina Hill said.