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Livingston nursing home issue revived
PONTIAC — The Livingston County Board reversed course Thursday night, agreeing to reconsider its options on keeping Livingston Manor open. The board voted 22-1 to rewrite and send out requests for proposals to interested parties on buying or leasing the manor. In February, the board voted to close the county-owned and operated facility and was in the process of submitting an application for a permit to close the facility from the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board. “We’ve heard interest from at least two providers, and we are interested in working with them,” said Board chairman Bill Flott. “They both stepped up to the plate, which I think is great.” Flott also said the possible closure of Pontiac Correctional Center was a factor because board members felt closing the nursing home would only add to a potentially devastating economic climate in the county. Last week, members of the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board looked over a draft of the closure application and asked why the County Board was looking to cease operations when other counties have typically had a third party take over the operation, board attorney Tom Blakeman said. Blakeman mentioned that Good Samaritan Home of Flanagan has shown interest in a management agreement, a lease agreement and the building of a new facility. Board member Eldon Ruff also presented his research to the board indicating that nursing home provider ASTA Healthcare Co., which has facilities in Bloomington and Pontiac, was still very interested in working with the board. In the meantime, Flott said the board will halt writing a full application to the facilities planning board. Flott also said that the request for proposals could be done “in house” and that it did not necessarily need the approval of the Nursing Home Committee or the full board in order to move the process along and determine the exact interest. Audience members applauded the board for taking a renewed interest in the nursing home. Board Member Bruce Koerner was the lone dissenting vote and later said he voted “no” because he did not think the planning board would approve the application and that the rest of the board was trying to justify the situation. Board Member Tim Shafer was absent at the meeting. The board previously sent out reuqests for proposals and voted in December to work with Prism Healthcare, a provider in Westmont, to privatize Livingston Manor and build a new facility. Prism later backed out in February after they said that they did not have full support of the board or the public. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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