McHenry County Blog

Valley Hi

The McHenry County Nursing Home’s bonds to construct the new complex have been paid off.

When the bonds for the Lakewood golf course were paid off (last year), the cut in property taxes was measurable this year.

It seems that the County Board wants to replace tax dollars used for bond payments with tax dollars to be used for operating funds.

No increase in tax rate, right?

But, no savings for the taxpayer.

More subsidy for the operation.

Consider these minutes from the Finance Committee:

“Mr. Hammerand stated that the Valley Hi Levy should be discussed in the future.

“He stated that since the facility is now paid off they need to have a conversation on these funds.

“Committee members were reminded that the levy was to be used to build the facility and maintain and operate the facility and in light of the State budget issues this will need to be watched closely.

“The facility will need to whether the State issues as well”.

They will need to be sure to continue to collect some of these levy funds in order to address any large future costs for repairs and maintenance.

The McHenry County Board lists ten 2011 accomplishments in a newsletter issued today:

10 Notable Accomplishments

County Finances Remain Solid

McHenry County maintains a consistently conservative approach to budgeting that earned an Aaa rating and again the FY12 Budget on was built upon prudent revenue estimates. The McHenry County Board adopted a $254,177,214 budget for Fiscal Year 2012 (FY12), which began on December 1, 2011. The increase in the FY12 Budget can be primarily attributed to the County’s plans to retire early the remaining debt that was issued to construct the County’s nursing home, Valley Hi. The County budget also projected to realize a $1.5 million increase in health insurance costs in FY12, and to expand $1.4 million more than in FY11 on transportation projects in FY12.

In developing the FY12 Budget, the County is responding to the continued weak revenue environment with corresponding controls on expenses. There were no dramatic cuts to services, but again were cuts in almost all areas of County Government. The FY12 Budget responded to the State awarding two new judges beginning in December by providing the necessary new staff that will accompany the new judges. Finally, there are approximately 50 fewer positions that were funded in the FY12 Budget than were funded just three years ago in FY09.

Looking east from Pingree Road onto Rakow Road in December.

Rakow Road

Rakow Road construction started on March 1, 2011 and has a projected completion date of fall 2012. The interim completion date of November 30, 2011 was hit with seven days to spare with all traffic switched to the newly completed eastbound lanes on November 23 for the winter shutdown. Following the stage shift, great progress was made as earthwork and the new gravel base was completed for the majority of the westbound lanes to be constructed next year. Underground work, the pedestrian bridge, and the noise wall construction will continue into January, putting the project in a very good position for an earlier completion in 2012. Follow the Rakow Road Project on Twitter @RakowRoad or sign up for email updates on the website: www.RakowRoad.com.

Water Resources Management Plan

The County Board adopted the Water Resources Action Plan on October 18, 2011. The Water Resources Division staff and the Ground Water Taskforce and Sub-Committees continue promoting implementation of the plan and review emerging water resource topics such as regulating PAH-containing seal-coating materials and establishing regulated recharge areas.

Unified Development Ordinance

The Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) project is progressing. Planning & Development staff received the first draft UDO document from the vendor drafting the ordinance on December 15th.

Courthouse Construction

The construction project inside the McHenry County Government Center is essentially complete. In addition to the construction of Courtroom 104, two judge’s chambers and the construction of a holding cell, there have been numerous updates to other areas including the replacement of the tile in the first floor public hallway, along with new carpeting and fresh paint. Courtroom 101 has been configured for juvenile court use which includes a waiting area for the specific use of juveniles, family members and their attorneys.

Valley HI

Valley Hi Nursing Home Expenses

The Valley Hi Nursing Home revenues over expenses continued to track well for FY11. Though the month of October, the operating income before depreciation was $150,541 for the fiscal year. This has been significantly impacted by the increase in the average daily Medicare short-term rehab census which continues to show a strong trending toward an average 20 Medicare A daily census.

Twenty Second Judicial Circuit Drug Court

The Twenty Second Judicial Circuit Drug Court Program convened its first session on December 1, 2011. The Program received funding from the United States Bureau of Justice Assistance FY11 Adult Drug Court Discretionary: Implementation Grant Program to fund the program for a period of three years. The grant was awarded by competitive process to jurisdictions which have completed a substantial amount of planning and are ready to implement an evidence-based adult drug court program. The program targets individuals who have a high risk of committing new offenses and a high need for treatment and other services to address the participant’s individual issues.

2011 McHenry County Labor Report

The McHenry County Workforce Investment Board, Workforce Network, and Economic Development Corporation released the 2011 McHenry County Labor Report. The following report contains a current, year-to-date snapshot of McHenry County’s labor force, industries, occupations, economic base, unemployment data and future areas of expected growth.

EMA Coordinating Council

The McHenry County Emergency Management Coordinating Council has met with success in its opening months. The Council will serve in a coordinating role for State, township, municipal, and County functions to pool their collective knowledge to support preparation and mitigation efforts. This coordination will lead to more efficient and cooperative resource management during emergencies and disasters throughout the County.

Mental Health Board

The McHenry County Mental Health Board facility expansion project added 22,000 square feet to its current space. The Mental Health Board will host a formal community open house in spring 2011.

A meeting notice from the Veterans Assistance Commission of McHenry County:

Veterans Benefits – Pension (Aid & Attendance) and Disability

Valley Hi, located near the unincorporated town of Hartland.

WHO: The Veterans Assistance Commission of McHenry County invites veterans and their families, interested public, and the media

WHAT: A presentation on Pension (Aid & Attendance) and Disability Veterans Benefits

WHEN: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Valley Hi Nursing Home & Rehabilitation, 2406 Hartland Road, Woodstock, IL  [Northwest of Woodstock east of Route 14]

WHY: Veterans Assistance Commission of McHenry County Superintendent Mike Iwanicki (an Accredited Veterans Services Officer recognized by the US Department of Veterans Affairs General Counsel to present and prosecute claims on behalf of veterans and their eligible family members) will be providing information regarding VA Pension (Aid & Attendance) and VA Disability Benefits.

Located in the McHenry County Administration Building in Woodstock, the Veterans Assistance Commission of McHenry County has assisted McHenry County Veterans in receiving millions of dollars in VA Pension & Disability benefits.

Seating is limited. Please call Sharon Chewnin at 815-338-0312or email swchewning@co.mchenry.il.us.

Former McHenry County Highway Commissioner Jim Rakow passed away Friday. When he came to McHenry County one of his big goals was to link Randall Road to Route 31.

Before he left office, there was such a link was planned that the McHenry County Board named in his honor–James R. Rakow Road.

He was married to McHenry County Recorder of Deeds Phyllis Walters.

Visitation will be from 2-8 PM at Crystal Lake’s Davenport Family Funeral Home on Monday, December 13th. The funeral service will be at 11 AM Tuesday, December 14th at the same location.

His obituary appears below:

James R. Rakow, (pronounced Rayco) 81, of Algonquin was born on December 15, 1928 in Elgin, Illinois to Waldemar Alvin and Jeanette (Taylor) Rakow. He passed away peacefully, December 10, 2010, at the Valley High Nursing Home in Woodstock surrounded by his loving family.

From the time he was eleven years old, he worked with his father Waldemar Rakow in the surveying business surveying roads in Kane, McHenry and Lake Counties.

In 1949, he graduated from Elgin High School and continued his education at Bradley University, graduating with a degree in Engineering.

During the Korean War, he proudly served his country as a member of US Navy aboard the USS Cunningham. He graduated from Officer Candidate School in 1953 with the rank of Lieutenant JG and was honorably discharged from the US Naval Reserve in 1967 as a Lieutenant.

For more than 15 years, he was a partner with his father in WA Rakow Engineering & Surveying in Elgin.

He worked for Baxter Woodmand in Crystal Lake prior to becoming McHenry County Superintendent of Roads/Engineer; he served the county for over 24 years in that capacity.

Mr. Rakow put in more than 11 years of legwork and played a vital role in procuring the right of way for the road connecting IL Rt 31 with Randall Road, completed after he left his position. His work was so appreciated that this road, James R. Rakow Road, was named in his honor.

Overseeing and planning the replacement of Pearl Street Bridge in McHenry, Rawson Road Bridge, and many county bridges which included widening of pavement and shoulders.

He was also instrumental in the building of the Charles Miller Bridge in McHenry, beginning with purchasing the land through engineering the roads east and west of the new bridge.

James was actively involved with local, township & county agencies in development, expansion and improvement of roads, including Randall Road north/south corridor, Algonquin Road widening, and Northern Algonquin Bypass (now known as the Western Algonquin Bypass). He was responsible for construction and maintenance of over 200 miles of county roads.

He worked diligently to reconfigure the Township Highway Commissioner operations; he promoted and aided in the development of current McHenry County Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances, laid the groundwork for McHenry County Stormwater Ordinance, and upgraded the Highway Department to meet demands of 21st century.

He served as an advisor to and board member of CATS (Chicago Area Transit System) and was actively involved with numerous area engineering associations and societies.

From 1993 to 2005, Mr. Rakow worked for the SEC Group, Inc. in McHenry; using his professionalism to help it grow to the large firm it is today, producing quality work.

Known for his belly shaking laughs and sly sense of humor, “JR” became a true personality at SEC and will always be remembered as a valued friend, good natured, gentleman, and a true professional. “We at SEC owe him much and plan on dedicating a part of our business to him.”

In his earlier years, he was very active with the Elgin YMCA. He enjoyed playing racquetball, handball and golf, as well as boating, crossword puzzles, the Chicago Bears, and the Chicago Cubs. He and Phyllis loved to travel and vacation in the British Virgin Islands on various sailing vessels.

A man of integrity, James was an honest, intelligent, kind, caring and thoughtful person; he was always the epitome of a true gentleman and will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

He is survived by his best friend and loving wife, Phyllis K. Walters; his loving children Diane (Charles) Griffin, Ansley Webster, Andrea Walters, and Anthony (Sheri) Walters; his cherished grandchildren Luke, Jessica and Rebecca Grossman, Jennifer (Michael) Tramantana, April Molenda, Laurin Adeniran, Abigail Lindahl, and Ashley, Benjamin and Cole Walters; two treasured great grandchildren, Len Molenda-Nichols and Destiny Molenda-Nichols; and his sister Ruth Ann Rakow Crandall and a brother-in-law, Chris Kobel and a sister-in-law, Marie Holtz.

Preceding him in death were his parents; his stepmother, Lois Rakow Graning, his son, Steven Rakow, and his grandson, Alex Grossman.

Visitation will be held on Monday from 2-8 p.m. at Davenport Family Funeral Home, 419 E. Terra Cotta Ave., (Rte. 176) Crystal Lake. The visitation will continue on Tuesday from 10 a.m. until the time of the services at 11 a.m. at the funeral home. Interment with military honors will follow at the Algonquin Cemetery.

Memorials in Mr. Rakow’s name may be made to Valley Hi Nursing Home, 2406 Hartland Rd, Woodstock IL 60098, 815-338-0312 or Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, 1359 Broadway, Ste 1509, New York, NY 10018, 800-457-6676.

The McHenry County Board is due to discuss how much control it shall give to an quasi-independent board that will run the county nursing home, named Valley Hi.

In August I offered two “quality of care” ideas that I got from State Rep. Webber Borchers.

County Board member John Hammerand made some patient protection suggestions that I printed. I don’t see any that made it into the draft being considered.

I decided to read the governing document that county board members are being asked to approve to discover if there will be adequate complaint and appeal mechanisms.

When I got about 55% through, I found something that I must say strikes me as close to unbelievable.

The county board is being asked to set up what is pretty much a self-perpetuating governing entity.

Valley Hi, the McHenry County Nursing Home, is seen from the northwest on a sunny winter day.

If someone leaves the board because of the two-term limitation or resigns, where will the pool of replacements come from?

The Nominating Committee shall consist of at least three (3) persons appointed by the Chairperson of the Operating Board. This Committee shall have the responsibility of maintaining a roster of qualified persons for recommendation to the McHenry County Board to serve as Directors. In the absence of a Nominating Committee, the Operating Board shall have the responsibility of maintaining a roster of qualified persons for recommendation to the McHenry County Board to serve as Directors. (Section Two under “Committees.”)

When I read that, I concluded that no one who wanted to rock the boat of the majority need apply.  (Organizational Theory was my favorite course during my Public Administration grad school at the University of Michigan.)

Their name would obviously not make it to the county board for possible appointment.

Well, I’ve been through the entire piece and find no where an avenue whereby a patient or concerned relative or friend could complain to a McHenry County Board member and have it mean anything.

Here’s the mission statement on the McHenry County web site for McHenry County’s nursing home:

Mission Statement

Valley Hi Nursing Home, Woodstock, IL, is operated for the benefit of the aged population of McHenry County who require public assistance.

Valley Hi Nursing Home strives to deliver resident care, clinical, psychological, and spiritual in an environment that promotes dignity and self-respect as envisioned by the McHenry County Board and its inception.

In the tradition of Valley Hi Nursing home, our mission is to continue to provide nursing home services with the highest standards set by policy and ordinance of McHenry County and to conform with all State and Federal regulations

Setting aside that

• its predecessor, the Poor Farm, was used to patch up gangland victims
• the pigs never had hams because the members of the Poor Farm Committee took them home in their trunks
• a member, maybe the chairman of the nursing home’s county board committee tried to shake down the Kishwaukee Valley Road farmer who dug a well

let’s talk about the planned relationship between the company that is going to manage Valley Hi and those most interested in the care it provides, that is, its patients, their family and friends.

McHenry County Board member John Hammerand (R-Wonder Lake) proposed the following amendment to the operating agreement between the county board and the management company:

Valley Hi Complaint and Appeal Procedures

“Patient, Relative, Guardian and Friend Complaints”

“The Authority shall post on the front door and prominently in each wing of the Valley Hi building notices of how anyone wishing to complain of service or conditions may do so.

“The notice shall include reference to a web site where complaint forms may be found and filed. In addition, the notice shall inform people where paper copies of complaint forms may be found at Valley Hi and the Government Center.

“Names of those making complaints shall not be required unless an appeal of corrective action taken, if any, is taken by the Operating Authority and /or staff is made to the McHenry County Board’s Valley Hi Committee.”

“Any patient, relative, guardian or friend may appeal the correction taken, if any, by the Operating Authority and/or staff to the Valley Hi Committee of the McHenry County Board.

“The committee, consisting of three members, shall be appointed in the same manner as all other committees of the McHenry County Board.

“The committee is empowered to hold hearings and conduct any investigations of service quality or conditions based on complaints made by patients, relatives, guardians or friends who are willing to make their identities public or on the committee’s own initiative.

“The Valley Hi staff and Operating Authority are instructed by this ordinance to provide any information and cooperation requested by the Valley Hi Committee.”

Sounds like it would provide something similar to the protection provided with a county board committee overseeing Valley Hi.

I have looked in vain for a complaint form on the county’s web site.

Here is the current complaint policy, provided to every resident/family upon admission.

In addition, as a matter of procedure and implementation, the Valley Hi care plan team addresses complaints and concerns as part of the routine quarterly meetings with residents and their families; part of the monthly Resident Council meeting is designed to address concerns/complaints; and, the Family meetings being conducted since last fall include opportunity for family members to address concerns.

When I was in the General Assembly, probably in the 1970′s, there was a very, very conservative state representative from Decatur named Webber Borchers. His other claim to fame was being the second Chief Illiniwek.

Besides being very, very conservative, I shall remember one way he spent his legislative allowance.

He hired a woman to check on nursing homes in his district.

She would go in a nursing home, introduce herself as Rep. Borchers’ Legislative Assistant and ask the administrator if she could look around.

Some told her, “I don’t have to let you in.”

The reply was, “You are correct, but, if you don’t I’ll tell me boss.”

I’ll bet she wasn’t refused more than once.

She had a 10 or 12-point check list that made so much sense. I wish I could find a copy, but here are some of the questions:

• Was the water within reach of each patient?
• Was there a smell of urine?

Common sense questions. Nothing technical. The same kind of things that you would pick up if you were considering putting a parent in a nursing facility.

Picking up on Webber’s idea, I introduced a bill that would have required a toll free complaint number, plus the number and address of the owner of the nursing home be put on the front door.

The type of nursing home with Webber Borchers’ proxy visitors locally has always been the county nursing home, called Valley Hi.

If county board members walked though the facility and smell urine, you better believe they had the power to do something about it.

If things got bad enough, they could probably get the county home administrator fired.

All of this is preface to writing about the ability of patients and their relatives and friends to make complaints that might mean something under the management agreement being proposed with an outside firm.

The red ink keeps oozing out, according to a Daily Herald article by the Daily Herald’s Chuck Keeshan

Finance Committee Chairman Marc Munaretto talks of “good structural changes” since Cary-based Revere Healthcare was hired in October 2007 to managed the Valley Hi nursing home.

But it still lost $183,000 a month.

$2.2 million in 2008.

Revere predicts the facility will never stop bleeding.

Improvement is hard to notice. The Northwest Herald headline below shows a $2 million loss in 2006.

Perhaps last year’s loss is a lower percentage of the nursing home’s budget.

McHenry County Administrator Peter Austin said the loss would have been more without Revere’s management.

The county makes up the difference from a referendum passed tax, which collects $6 million a year.

The red ink keeps oozing out, according to a Daily Herald article by the Daily Herald’s Chuck Keeshan

Finance Committee Chairman Marc Munaretto talks of “good structural changes” since Cary-based Revere Healthcare was hired in October 2007 to managed the Valley Hi nursing home.

But it still lost $183,000 a month.

$2.2 million in 2008.

Revere predicts the facility will never stop bleeding.

Improvement is hard to notice. The Northwest Herald headline below shows a $2 million loss in 2006.

Perhaps last year’s loss is a lower percentage of the nursing home’s budget.

McHenry County Administrator Peter Austin said the loss would have been more without Revere’s management.

The county makes up the difference from a referendum passed tax, which collects $6 million a year.

by Pete Gonigam

In late 2006 Illinois State Police investigated a complaint of unusual deaths at the Woodstock Residence nursing home. Within two weeks they identified a primary suspect and had her removed from duty.

If they had the right suspect the deaths logically should have ended.

Only they didn’t.

When news broke in Mid-November, 2006, that there an investigation was underway Chicago Sun-Times reporter Dan Rozek wondered how big the case might be. He asked McHenry County Coroner Marlene Lantz for figures on recent deaths at the home.

The disturbing response was that almost twice as many people had died at the facility in the first 8 1/2 months of 2006 as in all of the previous year, 34 versus 18.

According to Lantz, no one ever asked about the number of deaths again. McHenry County Blog did, though.

In the raw data Lantz provided, the dates of all deaths at the home, no pattern was readily apparent. A pattern began to emerge, though, when the daily deaths were combined into a running 12-month total.

From what had been a three-year steady baseline the number of deaths at the Woodstock Residence began to rise at the beginning of 2006 although not much. (Click to enlarge the graphic.)

In April, however, there was a marked increase.

That’s the month investigators claim their chief suspect began overdosing patients with morphine.

The deaths continued to mount through the summer until a pause in October when police began interviewing witnesses.

The chief suspect, apparently Lake in the Hills LPN Marty Himebaugh, was suspended at the end of that month. Himebaugh was indicted this year on charges of abusing patients at the home by overdosing them with morphine and other drugs.

The next month, though, with Himebaugh gone, the deaths reached a new peak and remained at high levels for the rest of the year and throughout the next as well.

Only when the Woodstock Residence was sold this past January to new management did the number of deaths fall back again.

In fact, death rates at the home may have been even worse than the raw number of deaths indicated. The Woodstock Residence has been customarily described as a 115-bed facility.

However, according to Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melanie Arnold only 81 of those beds were occupied when the investigation began in October, 2006. By April of this year there were only 71 residents at the home, she said.

In other words, although the number of deaths at the home fell somewhat in late 2006 and 2007, the rate of deaths per resident probably stayed about the same as it had been in early 2006 when investigators claim six people were drugged to death.

The fragments of the still-secret State Police reports incorporated in the Illinois Department of Public Health report on the home seem to indicate investigators zeroed in on Himebaugh as prime suspect almost immediately. There’s no indication whether they looked for any others or examined records of deaths at the home.

Chief investigator Sergeant Keith Owano refused to discuss the case referring all questions to the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s office.

State’s Attorney Louis Bianchi declined an on-the-record interview citing pending criminal proceedings against Himebaugh.

Sources close to the case report, however, that Bianchi’s involvement in the investigation only extended to securing orders for exhumations requested by Owano’s team.

Coroner Marlene Lantz has no knowledge of the investigation. She’s been complaining for more than a year that Bianchi stonewalled her when she tried to find out about it, saying they involved “cold cases.” That phrasing is another indication investigators may not have looked for victims other than those named by nursing staff at the home. Lantz has said State Police provided her no information, either.

The numbers indicating increased deaths at the Woodstock Residence don’t prove there were more killings that everybody missed.

They don’t, in fact, prove there were any killings at all.

A report requested from Lantz of the past few years’ deaths at all 12 McHenry County nursing homes shows, for example, an unexplained 25 to 33 percent increase in deaths at the county’s own Valley Hi nursing home in 2003 and 2004. Likewise, for the past six years the number of deaths at the giant Alden Terrace home has bobbed up and down apparently at random.

The death numbers at Woodstock Residence show only two things:

• One is that for two years something caused deaths there to double.
• The other is that after October, 2006, whatever it was, it can’t have been Marty Himebaugh.

Tomorrow: Who’s supposed to be minding the store? Another surprising answer.