Stephenson County nursing home committee reviews operations, hears public pleas to keep facility open and enters executive session

The Stephenson County Nursing Home Committee reviewed operational, staffing and financial reports for the Stephenson County Nursing Center, heard public commenters urging the county to retain the facility or contract with a management company, approved routine claims and then moved into an executive session to discuss an employment matter.

Public commenter Ed Klein told the committee that the county “lacks the financial and management capacity to continue operating the home in its current model” and urged the board to solicit proposals from qualified long-term-care operators. Klein said management companies had offered proposals “to take all of the liability away from this county to manage it” while leaving facility ownership with the county. A second commenter questioned public statements about a $1.5 million valuation, warned that any sale or closure requires state approval,…