What can be done with Winchester House?

The three Democratic candidates vying to represent Lake County Board District 1 offer several ideas to make the new Winchester House a success.

Peter Grant, Gene Kryczka and Steve Skinner were asked recently if the county-run nursing home should focus on a particular health care specialty and, if so, what specialty.

The contenders, all from Antioch, were interviewed Thursday.

In September, the county board approved replacing the aging 360-bed Libertyville facility with a smaller, roughly 175-bed skilled nursing home.

Over the next several months, the county will move forward with plans for the new building, which will cost taxpayers $31 million and be funded through the sale of 20-year bonds.

While all of the candidates agree the county should try to increase the number of private-pay patients using Winchester House, their ideas for doing so differ.

Kryczka, 36, said Winchester House should remain a county-run nursing home, but should attract enough private-pay residents to absorb some of the costs.

"If it specialized in something like Alzheimer's, maybe we can bring in people from outside of the county," Kryczka said. "Most nursing homes that are privately run are general. If we have a specialty, we can attract people."

Grant, 55, agreed, saying specializing in Alzheimer's disease may be the key to bringing paying patients to the facility.

"I know people question if the county should be in the business of administrating this kind of care," he said. "But as a society, we have a responsibility to take care of people less fortunate. This could be anyone of us when we get older."

Skinner, 48, said with 58 million baby boomers retiring over the next 25 years, the county should look at all of its options.

"We've not paid enough attention to what kind of services could be provided," Skinner said. "Our waistlines get bigger as we get older. Maybe we can do something with nutrition, weight loss and keeping it off. We will have to be creative to find uses, but I believe they exist."

Grant, Kryczka and Skinner hope to replace Judy Martini on the Lake County Board. Martini, a Republican and 14-year-board veteran, announced last year she would not seek re-election.

District 1 covers the villages of Antioch and Old Mill Creek and portions of Fox Lake.

The winner of the Democratic primary Feb. 5 will face Republican Linda Petersen Nov. 4.