Walnut Acres Supporters

11/11/2025

I'd like to say a couple things after listening to the County Board meeting last night and the start to finish 4 minute 54 second Nursing Home committee meeting last week.

NO ONE IS TALKING TO THE WORKERS. You know the people doing the work. It's not been an easy transition, no matter how many times you tell yourselves it's working like clockwork.

The patient/staff ratio has been cut, training on new systems wasn't done and nurses are being reprimanded for not getting their work done. They are being asked to clock out and finish their charting on their own time. THIS IS NEVER OKAY. Supplies are cheap. Kleenix so thin, you can see through it.

AT THE LAST NURSING HOME COMMITTEE IT WAS SAID "IT'S CHAOTIC, BUT A GOOD CHAOS". WTF, chaos is never good. It's certainly not what I want the staff and patients in any healthcare setting to experience. Consider how scary it must be for those that don't want to be fired if they say anything.

SMH. . . just keep patting yourselves on the back and telling yourselves what a great service you've done for our county.

11/11/2025

Here's my letter to the Illinois Health Facilities and Review Board requesting a delay in any decision regarding the sale until after the court has ruled if a referendum is required and if necessary that they hold a Town Hall in our county.
If others want to send an email, please do so.
Their email is dph.hfsrb@illinois.gov
Send it as an attached pdf. If anyone needs help making their request into a pdf, message me.
The case number is Project 25-041 (Serenity Estates of Freeport)

08/28/2025

You can find lots of information here:

During the full County Board meeting on Thursday August 20, 2025, despite the  lawsuit filed earlier that day, the board took a vote to sell the nursing home. All county board members were notified earlier that day by, prior to the Board meeting, that the lawsuit was filed. There was NO discussion ...

08/20/2025

Chairman Helms has been on Big Radio today spreading lies. He states that there is no money to pay bills if Walnut Acres doesn't get sold. That is a blatant lie. There is over 8 million in the general fund. Because of major mismanagement on this County Board there is no money in the BUDGET for Walnut Acres. Money could be moved into the Nursing Center budget at any time. The Board just refuses to do that. They would rather create a crisis and upset our community instead of being responsible. The members that want to sell our Walnut Acres should be voted out of office. They couldn't manage a lemonade stand.

08/20/2025

You will find the 104 page contract to sell by following the link below. You hover over the agenda and a hyperlink will pop up.

https://stephensoncountyil.gov/1_August%2021%20Agenda%20Linked.pdf

08/17/2025

With the vote to sell the Stephenson County Nursing Center, aka Walnut Acres, taking place this Thursday night during the full County Board meeting, I came across this 2023 video of Mike Filippo, CFO of TCM, at a Jim Hart constituent meeting, speaking about the finances. Yes, it's long, over an hour but just in the first 2-3 minutes, is worth your time.
Keep in mind, the official county 2023 audit, showed Walnut Acres change in net position (the change in the valuation of the total nursing center operation) was $604,192 to the good. Another point, the 2024 audit isn't out yet. Why is that do you suppose?

07/10/2025

Remember at the end of last month's full County Board meeting, when Chairman Helms stated that TCM did not do a yearly report that was due. I'll put the video link and timestamps in the first comment below.
FACT: TCM was gone when this report was due IN MARCH. They had NOTHING to do with it.

FAST FORWARD TO last night's Court Services Committee starting at time stamp 17:00 minutes in, till the end, you will hear Chairman Helm's infuriating comments about this report, and how serious this failure to submit this report is. You will hear how he offers no apology to TCM and no acknowledgement that we needed to keep TCM as our Management Company.

• KEEP IN MIND THAT IF WE STILL HAD TCM THIS NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED.

• KEEP IN MIND THAT IF WE TOOK TCM UP ON ITS OFFER OF FULL MANAGEMENT, MADE LAST MONTH, WE WOULD NOT BE IN THIS SITUATION.

• KEEP IN MIND THAT WHEN THEY ALL VOTE TO SELL NEXT THURSDAY, PERHAPS HELMS HAS HAD THIS PLAN ALL ALONG? PERHAPS THEY ARE NOT AT ALL UPSET WITH THIS, BECAUSE IT FITS THEIR NARRATIVE AND THEIR PLANS.

• KEEP IN MIND THAT VOTING TO SELL NEXT WEEK, HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THE STATE COMMITTEE AND JUST ASK DEKALB HOW THAT TURNED OUT FOR THEM.

• KEEP IN MIND THAT CLOSING THE FACILITY HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THE STATE COMMITTEE ALSO. IT'S NOT AS EASY AS JUST MOVING PEOPLE OUT AND CLOSING THE DOORS.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=_kMOcI8cadc&list=PPSV&t=8s

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07/01/2025

I've met Alex Lawson when we were on DC. This article is spot on. So why would we give away our public owned facility now with all this uncertainty. Makes no sense.
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/gop-nursing-homes?fbclid=IwY2xjawLQI19leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHo9dvWq8XSO8xJmF4ZX8pLZ3wmBjtg5E_nM_sJguQiq2yNv6kTs2VSqZ3n2X_aem_nx7EIxlkDOwQlyVz-CzUxw

​If the Big Ugly Bill becomes law, over half of nursing homes say they will have to reduce staff, and a quarter say they will close.

06/19/2025

Sad day for our county. They voted 10 to 5 to accept the Letter of Intent for a sale to a company with no track record, that was formed 2 weeks ago and is managing 2 homes with 1 star ratings, 1 with an abuse charge. A company who we have no idea of who is behind them other than they get their money from a "bank".

Voting no was Bush, Newton, Williams, Hadley and Moderow. Brooke Wagner was absent and the others all voted yes.

They simply do not care if a law suit about selling without a referendum happens.

They brought up typical MAGA talking points. Private is better than public

"This is too complicated for the public to understand."

They don't care if there's a company that has offered a FULL CONTRACT, they want to sell

"This is different from our neighboring counties."

We are children trying to hang on to a broken toy, we need to grow up.

Its desire to keep this public is ridiculous. There are Medicare beds all over, within 30 miles. That's not too far to drive.

We already pay into Medicare and Medicaid, so we don't need to pay more.

We are competing with the private facilities in town and that's not fair to them.

"This company is offering a fair price" (Zero dollars).

We shouldn't be involved with a public entity, it should be privatized.

And the citizens voted for it a long time ago but it's different. Medicine is better now.

They even quoted Reagan "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help." These points were brought up by Whalen, Hayes and Jogerst. Each spoke twice at least.

06/16/2025

Several have asked "What about the state law saying we need a referendum?" Yes, you have a good point there. Because the County has never sold (not the same as trying) the home, a challenge to that law hasn't happened.
I did dig in and find AFSCME's response to Carl Larson's pretzel like interpretation. The video of Carl Larson explaining his logic to the full County Board on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpSQmUzz8Bk

06/13/2025

Here are the two offers that came in Tuesday. One of them never made it to the table. Interesting huh? The NH committee voted today to take the Serenity Estates proposal to the full County Board meeting next Wednesday. You can learn more by attending the Coffee and Conversation with Lynette Williams and Adam Moderow at the Lincoln Mall today from 2-3pm. Lynette was at the NH committee meeting this morning.

06/13/2025

Your County Board members need to hear from you. Phone calls and emails. Contacts are here: https://stephensoncountyil.gov/government/county_board/index.php