Advocates for Nursing Home Care Announce the ANHC Community Collaborative
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 29, 2023
Contact
Cathy Emanuel, ANHC Steering Committee
309-222-3170 /
Tanya Giannotti, Public Relations
217-531-2925 /
Advocates for Nursing Home Care Announce the ANHC Community Collaborative
Community Collaborative to Conduct Needs Assessment of Seniors and Caregivers in Champaign County
CHAMPAIGN, IL – The Advocates for Nursing Home Care (ANHC) announces the launching of a needs assessment and formation of a community collaborative to address the need for additional nursing home care in Champaign County. The collaborative is composed of local stakeholders, all of whom have an interest in exploring solutions to the current lack of access to convenient and high-quality nursing home care in Champaign County.
With the closure of University Rehabilitation, and the downsizing of Clark Lindsey, ANHC is concerned about the shortage of quality nursing home beds for older citizens. The group is working with local government officials, non-profit administrators, health officials, and concerned citizens to outline strategies that will aid in resolving the issue. The involvement of the collaborative brings together local community partners to participate in a needs assessment, assist in the development of a market study, develop a business plan, and identify an owner/operator and location for the services recommended by the needs assessment and market study.
According to the 2021 Long-Term Care Inventory[1] from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board identifies Champaign County as having a deficit of nursing home beds. After the closure and downsizing of area long-term care facilities, Champaign County is expected to have 411 of the 721 beds needed for the population, according to IDPH calculations. This shortage is detrimental not only to those needing long-term care, but also to those needing inpatient rehabilitative care after hospitalization. The shortage will also have an impact on Medicaid bed availability in the county. By placing Medicaid patients outside of the county, an additional burden is placed on individuals with fewer financial resources.
The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) will conduct the assessment, which will be launched on August 29. Funded by Champaign County, the assessment is expected to include a survey, interviews, and focus groups of providers, users, and family members.
[1] “Inventory of HCF.” Inventory of Health Care Facilities and Services and Need Determinations - Inventory of HCF, https://hfsrb.illinois.gov/inventoriesdata/healthcarefacilities.html
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