Commissioners pause new admissions at Sunny Meadows after insurer declines renewal

A committee member told the DeKalb County Commissioners that the insurance carrier for Sunny Meadows will not renew the facility's coverage, leaving the facility uninsured after May 10, and reported the facility currently houses 18 residents.

"I did receive notice ... the insurance carrier for Sunny Meadows is not going to renew our coverage," the committee member said. The member said the facility's coverage runs through May 10 and that staff had been informed the trustees were aware of the notice.

Committee member S3 moved to "put a moratorium on any more new residents out at Sunny Meadows until we figure out the insurance thing for now." The motion was seconded and the chair called the vote; the motion was announced as carried and commissioners directed staff to document the moratorium and follow up on insurance status.

County staff and commissioners emphasized the moratorium is a temporary step to prevent admitting new residents while the county verifies the facility's liability coverage. One commissioner noted, "we can't have a facility without insurance on it," and the commission agreed to have staff gather the relevant documents and to arrange a site visit to the facility.

The commission did not adopt an ordinance; the action described in the meeting was a motion and vote to impose a temporary moratorium and instruct staff to follow up. The meeting record indicates the vote was taken by voice and the chair declared the motion carried; no roll-call tally with individual votes was provided in the transcript.

Next steps announced at the meeting included staff preparing documentation of the moratorium and commissioners or staff visiting Sunny Meadows to assess the situation and clarify insurance and operational implications.