Concerns rise over future of Walnut Acres Nursing Home in Freeport

FREEPORT, Ill. (WTVO) — The Stephenson County Board met and discussed the future of Walnut Acres Nursing home Wednesday night.

The board received a letter of intent from a buyer interested in purchasing the building, which would turn it from a public nursing home to a private nursing home.

This raises concerns in the city and among the board members. District D member Bill Hadley said he is against selling the building. He said he thinks the topic should be put to a referendum for voters to decide the future.

“The voters supported that tax in ’98, it’s a disservice to the taxpayers of Stephenson County, so we need to look at other avenues,” Hadley said.

Hadley said he is worried for the residents who live in this home.

“We have a lot of low-income seniors in this county and in the city of Freeport that cannot afford private pay,” he explained. “When the private sector takes over, they’re going to lose something like $78 per day, $100,000 a month.”

Jody Coss is the chair of the Stephenson County Democratic Party. She said she wants people to be aware of the impacts that selling the building may have on them.

“Even if you worked your entire life, it’s really rare for people to be able to afford a long-term care insurance policy,” Coss said. “Let them stay close by and live out their lives that way. I just don’t understand it.”

On the other side, District H board member Steve Fricke said he thinks the nursing home will be in better shape with a private buyer.

“We don’t want to see it closed, but we also see it as a difficult thing for us to operate,” Fricke said. “We as a county board and as our nursing home community, are not experts in the medical field. It would be better to run by people that have that experience.”

Wednesday night’s meeting concluded with a 10-5 vote in favor of the letter of intent to a private buyer. It will need full approval before a sale can be made by the Stephenson County Board.