With the lease of Oak Hill senior living and rehabilitation center property to Accolade Healthcare becoming official Oct. 1, those opposed to the pending transfer of operations made their voices heard last Wednesday.

The Monroe County Annex parking lot in Waterloo overflowed with vehicles as a large crowd attended the final public hearing prior to the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board votes on Accolade’s application for a “certificate of need” Nov. 18.

If this certificate is approved, Accolade will be able to assume operational control of the facility from Monroe County as of Dec. 1.

While there were about a dozen of the more than 100 attendees  who marked “support” on the public hearing register, nearly all public comment last Wednesday was opposed to Accolade having control of Oak Hill for at least the next five years.

Much of the comments reiterated points made during special meetings of the Monroe County Board on Aug.  26 and Oct. 1, although there were new concerns expressed regarding Accolade’s actions following the lease authorization.

Bonnie Christiansen, speaking on behalf of current Oak Hill employees, outlined a number of concerns – including fears of her peers being targeted for speaking out.

Christiansen said the fears are due in part to a number of unanswered questions about employee health insurance and how vacation, holiday and sick leave time will be handled once Accolade assumes operational control.

She reported many current staff are using accrued sick leave for fear of losing it, which has caused “havoc” with recent staffing schedules. Some full-time staff have opted to switch to higher pay and on-call “PRN” positions due to the loss of benefits at Oak Hill, she said.  

Christiansen and others also mentioned the loss of Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund benefits when Accolade takes over since Oak Hill staff will no longer be employees of Monroe County.

Several speakers claimed Accolade plans to decertify Whispering Pines, which is Oak Hill’s Alzheimer’s unit.

Julia Olszewski, former Oak Hill director of Whispering Pines for 20 years, called the decision “a grave injustice for the citizens of the area and the residents of Oak Hill’s memory care unit,” also accusing Accolade officials of only wanting “to make more money… at the expense of some of the most vulnerable residents.”

Even though spoken public comment was limited to three minutes per speaker, current and former residents and their family members, current and former employees and volunteers provided nearly two hours of public comment at this hearing.

Monroe County Board Chairman George Green, as a listed applicant for the certificate of need, was given the opportunity to speak first.

Green’s main stated reason to lease – and potentially sell – Oak Hill was that “county government, as both previously and currently constructed, is not equipped with the expertise, support and underlying knowledge base to successfully run Oak Hill.”

That sentiment, along with the added regulations imposed on skilled nursing facilities following the COVID-19 pandemic, staffing issues and recent mishandling of Medicare billing at Oak Hill have been county officials’ main argument for the decision to lease the county-owned senior living facility.

Public comment during the Oct. 8 hearing reiterated the ability of previous county boards to successfully manage Oak Hill despite the nursing home industry being one of the most highly regulated businesses, even before COVID requirements were introduced.

Green’s statement continued by describing why the current board determined “a lease of the facility and a sale of the operations were the obvious solution.”

The first option considered was to hire additional support personnel, although that cost was deemed too high to be feasible.

“Stated simply, the cost to fully support Oak Hill at the county level, if it could even hire and identify the necessary folks, was going to result in added taxes and cuts to other essential government services,” Green said. 

The board also considered hiring a management company as it had in the late 1990s, but decided that option “again resulted in added costs, and ultimately losses for Oak Hill overall.”

After deciding the best solution was to lease Oak Hill for five years followed by a potential voter referendum to sell outright, Green said “the county board was not optimistic that a suitable partner would be found” until meeting with Accolade owners.

“The Accolade group is made up of wonderful, caring folks, who have a passion for this field.  They have a base of expertise that the county knows will equip them for significant and continued success with the operation of Oak Hill,” Green said. “But, most importantly, the board recognizes that Accolade represents the sustainable and successful future of Oak Hill.”

While this hearing was the final opportunity for in-person public comment prior to the certificate of need vote in November, those wishing to submit further information to the HFSRB in support or against the operations transfer  may do so via email or postal mail by Oct. 29. 

Comments sent by email should be addressed to DPH.HFSRB@Illinois.gov with subject line “25-031 Oak Hill Senior Living and Rehabilitation Center, Waterloo.”

Written comments may be sent by mail to ​​​​Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board, 525 W. Jefferson Street, Second Floor, Springfield, IL 62761.

Comments delivered by email and traditional mail must be received before Oct. 29.

A staff report based on these HFSRB findings will be published online Nov. 5, and written comment will be accepted on the report at the above addresses before 9 a.m. Nov. 10.

The board will then review all relevant documents prior to its next meeting Nov. 18, during which a vote will be taken on the Accolade certificate on need.

If approved, Accolade is expected to completely assume operations at Oak Hill on Dec. 1.

Following the initial five-year lease term – if the lease were to renewed for an additional five years – a referendum question will be placed on the 2030 or 2032 ballot asking Monroe County voters if Oak Hill operations and property should be sold to Accolade for $14 million.

A copy of documents related to the Accolade certificate of need application, including public comment documents, may be found at hfsrb.illinois.gov by searching “25-031 Oak Hill.”