By Patrick Baron
BLOOMINGTON – The McLean County Board approved recommendations from the Blue Ribbon Panel for maintaining the McLean County Nursing Home.
The recommendations lay the groundwork for how the county can improve the nursing home through 2019, from providing additional services to creating a number of advisory committees. Board member George Wendt, the only member to vote no, says the nursing home is no longer financially viable. He believes the nursing home business is outdated.
“Throughout the state of Illinois, many, many counties now have gotten out of the nursing home business,” Wendt explained. “This is a business that only started from our poor farms where we didn’t have any private sector place to put people.”
Wendt said the county is facing its fourth year of financial loss with the nursing home. He said the county loses a million dollars each year continuing the upkeep of the nursing home.
Board member Carlo Robustelli, who supported the recommendations, said the Panel’s expertise provides important insight for how the board can implement policies at the nursing home.
“This is just a tremendous opportunity that we’re willing to make partnerships across different industries, with different people with different perspectives that have different expertise, to inform our decision making,” explained Robustelli.
Wendt suggested the board should shut down the nursing home and focus on assisted living in the private sector. Board Chairman John McIntyre said the nursing home has made a profit in the past and can do so again.
Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].
