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.