DeKalb Times

DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center Oversight Board met May 28,.

Here is the agenda provided by the board:

A Regular meeting of the Members of the DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center Oversight Board (hereinafter “Oversight Board”) was held Tuesday, May 28, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room in DeKalb, Illinois pursuant to written notice to each Member as required by the By-Laws.

ROLL CALL

Chair Wilhelmi called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. and called the roll. Those Members present were Abdul “Brother” El-Jamal, Mary Hatch, Rhonda Henke, Jerry Osland, Kay Riley, and Frank Roberts. A quorum was established with Seven Members present, Two absent. Rukisha Crawford arrived at 6:32pm.

Others that were present included: DCRNC Administrator Bart Becker, County Administrator Brian Gregory, County Board Chair Ellingsworth Webb and Board Secretary Liam Sullivan.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

It was moved by Hatch to approve the agenda as presented, seconded by Roberts and approved unanimously by voice vote.

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

It was moved by Osland and seconded by Henke to approve the minutes of the April 23, 2024 Meeting of the DCRNC Oversight Board.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Carol Deemer expressed a number of concerns that she has with the Oversight Board including the lengthy discussions that the board has and the creation of subcommittees. She reminded the Oversight Board that they are not a policy making body and that the County Board is the only body that can make policy for the facility. Additionally, she asked that the Oversight Board refrain from micromanaging the DCRNC.

PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS

DCRNC Administrator’s Report

DCRNC Administrator Bart Becker began by telling the Oversight Board that the facility’s star rating for quality measures has increased to a four out of five stars. The facility remains a two-star facility overall. He explained that there are currently no cases of COVID-19 or RSV in the facility.

He explained that at this time, they do not have final figures yet but the projected agency staffing usage for the month of May is between $70,000 to $75,000. He explained that this has been a difficult staffing month, with a net loss of 2.1 FTEs in the nursing department.

Additionally, he stated that the facility’s contract with Vestis is now in effect, with the facility now under the sixteen free weeks of service that was part of the contract, which is a substantial savings to the facility.

Becker stated that the decision was made to replace furniture for four rooms in the TCU.

Update on Facility Construction/Maintenance Projects

Becker provided the Board with some photographs of the Transitional Care Unit to illustrate the progress that has been made since the Oversight Board toured. In these photos is a conference table and chairs that were donated by County Board Member Roy Plote. Becker thanked Plote for his generous donation. Becker explained that the TCU was given occupancy approval from IDPH. He stated that the beds now need to be certified for Medicaid and Medicare residents. He stated that the facility will be able to open the TCU once the beds have been certified.

Additionally, Becker showed progress photos of the hallway that Facilities Management is in the process of painting.

Update on Community Liaison Position

Becker informed the Board that the facility has received approximately twenty-five of applications for the Community Liaison Position. He said he expects to receive more prior to the first review of applications and that it appears many of the applicants are highly qualified for the job.

Discussion of Request for Proposal for Billing & Consulting Services

Brian Gregory notified the Oversight Board that the County Board approved a Resolution that directs the DCRNC to issue a Request for Proposal for Billing & Consulting Services. He explained that staff is currently working on putting together the bid documents and will issue the RFP when the documents are completed.

Financial Update Provided by Kay Riley

Kay Riley provided the Oversight Board with a handout which provided an overview of various collections related issues that she believes the facility is having as well as some questions. Riley proposed that the compensation for billing and consulting services should be tied to the collection rate of the facility. Gregory explained that when a company submits a proposal, they name their own price so the County would not be able to set terms like that. Additionally, Riley again stated that she believes the facility needs its own accountant to create monthly reports for the facility using accrual basis account rather than cash basis accounting.

ACTION ITEMS

Creation of Oversight Board Committees

Following the conversation from their last meeting, the Oversight Board discussed the possibility of creating committees with different specializations. The Board discussed creating informal working groups that are composed of a number of Oversight Board Members that are less than the majority of quorum to be in compliance with OMA, allow members of the public to participate without needing to be appointed, and not require additional staff time to prepare for.

Approval of Oversight Board Bylaws

The Oversight Board reviewed the bylaws and asked staff to correct several scrivener’s errors. Additionally, the Oversight Board requested that the County Board review the bylaws and make changes to clarify language regarding the reporting relationship between the County Board and Oversight Board in Article VI, Section 2, Article VI, Section 5, and Article XI, Section 3 of the bylaws.

CONSIDERATIONS

There were no items under Considerations

OLD BUSINESS

Crawford asked when the facility’s “Red Hand” will be taken off of the Medicare.gov website. Becker explained that it will likely be taken off the website in July.

NEW BUSINESS

There were no New Business items.

ADJOURNMENT

A motion to adjourn was made by Osland at 8:56PM, seconded by Crawford, and approved by voice vote, with all votes cast in the affirmative.

https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/minutes-rnc-05282024.pdf