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McLean County nursing home begins phased construction; officials expect lower census, budget adjustments
Summary
McLean County Nursing Home began a construction project that will close the facility's 200 Wing in phases through April 2026. Nursing home leadership said average daily census was 100 in 2024 and is projected to fall to roughly 92–93 during construction; staff adjusted payer-mix targets and expect agency utilization and overtime to fall.
McLean County’s long-term care facility started a phased construction project on Feb. 3 that will close the 200 Wing and is expected to run through April 2026, nursing home leadership told the McLean County Board’s Health Committee. The facility reported an average census of 100 residents per day in 2024 and projects a lower census while construction is underway.
The drop in census and the temporary closure have budget implications. "We were thrilled 2024 ended with an average census of 100 residents per day," said Mr. Wiley, the nursing home representative, who presented the facility's report. Leadership has revised revenue assumptions for 2025 and 2026 to reflect a reduced census during construction and adjusted the target payer mix to prioritize higher-reimbursement admissions.
The facility temporarily closed the 200 Wing effective Jan. 17 and has repurposed space on one active wing to reserve beds for hospice and rehab-to-home care. Construction phases will close roughly one-third of the building at a time, Mr. Wiley said. Leadership is targeting a mix of 10.5 Medicare residents per day, 32 private-pay, 30 Medicaid and 7.5 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs residents for a working total of 90 residents to allow isolation and roommate-compatibility flexibility.
Committee members asked about rooming and hospice policy. Mr. Wiley said most rooms are double-occupancy and the facility has six single-occupancy rooms. Regarding hospice eligibility, he said that hospice providers operate under Medicare limits and that, to his recollection, Medicare generally requires about a six-month prognosis.
The nursing home reported it held a 15% agency utilization rate in 2024. Leadership said redistributing staff during construction should reduce agency use and overtime, a change they expect to partly offset lower revenue; their projection is to be budget neutral, or at least minimize net budgetary impact.
The committee thanked facility staff and county facilities personnel for preparation work ahead of construction. No formal committee action on the construction or budget assumptions was recorded at the meeting.
The committee moved on to other agenda items after the nursing home report; the next Health Committee meeting was announced for Tuesday, March 4 at 4:00 p.m.
