DeKalb Times

DeKalb County Rehab & Nursing Center Oversight Board met June 25.

Here are the minutes 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 6:00 p.m. and called the roll. Those Members present were Abdul “Brother” El-Jamal, Mary Hatch, Rhonda Henke, Charlotte Hodder, Jerry Osland, Kay Riley, and Frank Roberts. A quorum was established with eight Members present, one absent. Rukisha Crawford arrived at 6:50pm.

Others that were present included: DCRNC Administrator Bart Becker and Board Secretary Liam Sullivan.

APPROVAL OF AGENDA

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

APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES

It was moved by Roberts and seconded by Osland to approve the minutes of the May 28, 2024 Meeting of the DCRNC Oversight Board.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Janet Burkes told the Oversight Board that she recently attended a Nursing Home Foundation meeting and expressed that she was very impressed with the generosity of the organization and thankful for the donations provided by the Foundation to the DCRNC.

Carol Deemer 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 remains a two-star facility overall and that he anticipates that the red hand on the medicare.gov webpage for the DCRNC will be removed in July.

Becker stated that the final cost for agency in May was $71,558. He explained that May was a difficult staffing month, with a net loss of 2.1 FTEs in the nursing department. He went on to say that the DCRNC has hired a large number of CNAs and LPNs in June. Becker also stated that while agency costs have come down substantially in the last year, he anticipates that there will be a temporary increase in agency costs due to

staffing the Transitional Care Unit (TCU) after it opens.

The TCU recently received certification for Medicaid and Medicare residents and has a tentative opening date of July 8th. Additionally, the Nursing Home Foundation has decided to donate fourteen sets of furniture for the TCU. Becker stated that he is grateful for the support of the Foundation because their support allows the DCRNC to have equipment that their competitors do not, which improves the quality of care for the residents of the DCRNC.

The DCRNC is close to hiring a Community Liaison for the Facility. Becker stated that he recently had a meeting with Kishwaukee Hospital and they expressed their excitement for the DCRNC having this position as it will better assist them in placing individuals in the facility.

Becker mentioned that the County Board will be considering a contract with IL Aging Services Network (IASN), which is an organization that will negotiate insurance provider agreements on behalf of the DCRNC. Becker stated that he believes that this will allow the facility to grow the census at a much faster pace in conjunction with the hiring of the Community Liaison position.

Next, Becker told the Board that the recent Medicare Audit came back with a 0% audit rate, meaning the facility will receive payment for all of the accounts being that were audited. Additionally, Becker has issued a Notice of Involuntary Discharge for an individual who owed the facility more than $15,000. He stated that hearing for the involuntary discharge is forthcoming and the family of the individual has already paid a large portion of the amount owed after the notice was issued.

Lastly, Becker provided an update on facility beautification projects. He explained that the County’s painter is nearing completion of one hallway and will be moving onto the next hallway soon. Additionally, Becker thanked Carol Deemer and the Master Gardener’s Organization for their efforts to improve the landscaping in the front of the DCRNC.

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. Roberts explained that he believes the Oversight Board needs to prioritize creating an Ad Hoc Committee with a focus on Revenue & Finance. He explained that he believes that the facility needs to have a dedicated finance department in house and until they do, this Committee could fill that role. He stated that this Committee could offer financial expertise but also act as a think tank for ways to increase the facility’s revenue.

The Board discussed the pros and cons of creating informal working groups versus a formalized ad hoc Committee. Chair Wilhemi explained that she believes it would be more advantageous to have a formal Committee structure rather than an informal working group due to the number of Oversight Board Members who have expressed interest in being on this Committee representing a majority of quorum of the Oversight Board. She went on to state that this would be an Ad Hoc Committee that acts in an advisory capacity to the Oversight Board.

Chair Wilhelmi moved to create an Ad Hoc Committee focused on Revenue & Finance, to be composed of three members of the Oversight Board and two members of the public. Riley seconded the motion and it carried via voice vote, with the majority of the votes cast in the affirmative.

CONSIDERATIONS

There were no items under Considerations

OLD BUSINESS

There were no Old Business items.

NEW BUSINESS

There were no New Business items.

ADJOURNMENT

A motion to adjourn was made by Osland at 7:50PM, seconded by Roberts, and approved by voice vote, with all votes cast in the affirmative.

https://dekalbcounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/minutes-rnc-06252024.pdf