Dec, 2024 - The saga continues
DECEMBER, 2024
Casey Anthony lost her Board seat by 2 votes in November, 2024. Don't ever think your vote doesn't matter. Jim Hart also lost his seat. Losing these two very fierce advocates on the Board is a blow, but they will remain fighting from the outside. We are thankful for their knowledge. We are also thankful for the newest Board member, Lynette Williams and her support of the Board.
At the December meeting, TCM gave notice that they needed payment or they would pull out. They have been paid very little during 2024 and they are now owed approx. $350K. Tim Whalen took this opportunity as Chair of the Finance Committee to prepare an RFP (Request for Proposal) to find a new billing company. Some on the board have said we will train the office staff to do the billing.
Here's a copy of an email I wrote to the entire Board:
"Nine of our current board members were not on the Board when TCM was hired. Consequently perhaps some on the Board don't fully understand how poorly the nursing center had been operated in the past and what a service TCM has provided since June, 2022.In the past Walnut Acres and most nursing homes DID in fact do their own billing, BUT times have changed. Billing and deadlines are more complicated. Insurance companies are harder to work with and the State is slower to pay its bills. Employees change jobs more often in today's world. It's not feasible to train in house staff when they might leave tomorrow.
Since some on the Board say we shouldn't be in the nursing home business, we don't know what we are doing or how to manage, using a competent in-house Administrator and a competent management company is a better way. (for instance most of you don't know much about the health department or the Sheriff's world, so you let them do their job).It's now customary in our modern world for most nursing homes to hire management companies.We first hired Excalibur, based on a recommendation from inside the healthcare industry. Recommendations the former Board members trusted and they were WRONG and cost our county thousands of dollars. It took a great deal of time before anyone on our board or committee even knew there was a problem. Is that going to be repeated?
I wonder how many Board members have actually reached out and had conversations with TCM? I've been told this hasn't happened. I've been told the member who repeatedly keeps saying I don't understand has NEVER reached out. Why?
My plea is to stop reacting to what "you've been told" and give TCM a chance.I see five options going forward, 3 better options and 2 poor options:
The better options:
- 1. Pay TCM using an interdepartmental loan (it's been done before) (Avoid an inevitable expensive lawsuit if they are not paid).
- 2. Borrow from the Nursing home tax levy and get them paid (it's been done before) (Again avoiding a lawsuit).
- 3. Negotiate with TCM, now, to keep them in their current position and spend the next 6 months trying to understand their purpose and their job. If you're unhappy in 6 month, do the RFP then.
and the poor options:
- 4. Put out an RFP and somehow trust that they will not be another Excalibur.
- 5. Train an inhouse person and hope they never leave their job, hope they are trained correctly and able to keep up with a constant stream of new requirements for billing, and new challenges from insurance companies. Hope they never get sick and can't do their job.
Another question I have is why after 5 months has the current Administrator never been hired permanently? He has asked to be. We have had essentially a 5 month trial with him and he is well liked by staff, patients and patients' families. If we need to cut costs, let's start by hiring him and not spending additional money on lodging, travel and food. That doesn't make sense to me at all.Thank you for stepping forward and serving the community. I have run into very FEW people that do not support keeping Walnut Acres public. Selling it will NEVER be as easy as you've been led to believe. Just look at the fiasco in Dekalb County.Thank you for your time." Jody Coss
Here is the link to the Board meeting. The RFP passed 3 NO and 12 YES
Only time will tell what happens next. Check back here for updates.
About Friends of Walnut Acres and HOPE in the Midwest
Friends of Walnut Acres is supported by donations to HOPE in the Midwest
HOPE in the Midwest stands for Health Over Profit for Everyone. We are advocates of keeping County-owned nursing homes public and not selling them to private equity firms. We are advocates of putting profit over people's health and well-being. We know having a publicly owned nursing home that takes all people into their care, regardless of their ability to pay, is better for our community. We understand that without a public nursing home, your loved one might not find a place to stay close enough for you to visit as often as you would like. We also understand that by putting patients over profit locally we can address problems quickly.
HOPE in the Midwest was created by Jody Coss and Edward Klein in 2018. We live in Freeport, IL. Our contact number is 815-601-4551 c (text or call)