Nursing home watches, hopes

A mix of hope and uneasiness hangs in the air at Winchester House as residents and staff brace for today's decision on the nursing home's future.

"A lot of people are hoping and praying," said Frank Costa, 56, Winchester House resident council president.

The Lake County Board will consider a recommendation to build a smaller, 175-bed nursing home for roughly $31 million to replace the aging 360-bed Libertyville facility. Winchester House hasn't been fully occupied for years -- presently, 252 of the 326 operational beds are filled.

Anticipation is mounting for this final vote after the new facility proposal received majority support from two county committees last week, said Jamie Weibeler, Winchester House director.

A large number of its nearly 300 employees have worked there longer than 15 years, he said.

"They just want to know definitively what's going to happen with the building," Weibeler said. "They have a vested interest."

For months now, Winchester House residents, staff and advocates have pleaded with county officials to drop the idea of shuttering the nursing home -- one of three options considered -- in favor of a new facility.

"I'm very confident that we're going to get a 'yes' vote," said Monica Behnke, 75, Winchester House resident council vice president. "Some of us probably will not be alive by the time it's finished, but that doesn't mean we don't want it."

Behnke said she has been trying to convince several county board members that Winchester House is not only for the elderly. "They didn't realize that we had younger people here," she said.

She and other wheelchair-bound residents will be on hand for today's vote.

"I definitely believe that there's strength in numbers," Behnke said.

It is unclear how a smaller nursing home would affect existing jobs, though officials say they have not considered layoffs and plan to reduce staff through attrition.

Frederick Hill of Vernon Hills, a senior nursing assistant who put in 23 years at Winchester House, isn't fazed by the possibility he may have to look for another job.

"I don't think that would be a problem for me. I have pretty good skills," said Hill, who has worked at Highland Park and Lake Forest hospitals. "I don't put all my eggs in one basket."

The greater concern among many staff members is for residents and lack of affordable nursing care for an increasingly aging population.

"We're just rooting along with them," said Linda Solomon, a restorative assistant who has worked there for 12 years. "I'm sure everybody cares enough about Winchester House to vote for us. We call ourselves a family here and we don't want anybody to be left behind."

The county board also will consider studying the possibility of building a separate 60-unit supportive living facility to complement the nursing home for an extra $12 million. The meeting begins at 9 a.m.