Rock County supervisors review consultant recommendations to stabilize Rock Haven nursing home

The Rock County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday heard a presentation of consultant findings and committee recommendations on Rock Haven, the county-owned nursing home, and discussed steps to address staffing shortfalls, the financial burden on taxpayers and whether to reopen an unused wing of the facility.

Consultants’ recommendations and an ad hoc committee report were presented to the board by county staff including Randy Terrones, who summarized the history of Rock Haven, and by Natalie, the nursing home administrator. The Health Dimensions Group report presented last fall contains more than 80 recommendations covering operations, staffing, financial management and marketing, and the county’s ad hoc committee said it is generally supportive of the consultant recommendations.

Why it matters: Rock Haven has operated with a reduced census and elevated costs for contracted agency staff for several years, prompting concern about sustainability and the size of the county tax levy used to subsidize the home. Board members pressed staff for timelines, benchmarks and follow-up information to measure whether any investments or policy changes improve operations and reduce the county subsidy.

Board discussion and staff presentation

Randy Terrones told the board the county must decide “are you gonna be in this business in the future?” and, if so, what investments and structure should be used. He described Rock Haven’s history and finances, saying the 2025 budget shows about $19 million in total operating expense with roughly $2.5 million covered by the county tax levy — “just under 12% of the…