May 25, 2018

Last night, the Champaign County Board voted 15 to 6 to sell the Champaign County Nursing Home (CCNH) to the Rothner-owned Extended Care Clinical, LLC and Altitude Health, Inc. companies who put in a joint bid to purchase the CCNH.

There is more work to be done, and the work to protect quality of care and jobs at CCNH will be ongoing. But we will address that later, in the days to come. For now, we just want to express our gratitude to you for your advocacy efforts, and share information about last night’s County Board Meeting.

On behalf of CCHCC, I want to thank all of you for your advocacy work – I thank you for your vigilance, your phone calls and emails to your elected representatives on the County Board, your statements at County Board meetings, and your dedication to protect the CCNH as a community asset that belongs to all of us.

There were about 130 people in attendance at the meeting, and about 20 people spoke during public participation, for and against the sale of CCNH.

Ultimately, it was a heartbreaking outcome.

Read more.

The sale of the Champaign County Nursing Home (CCNH) is imminent. The Champaign County Board will be meeting TONIGHT – Thursday, May 24 at 6:30 p.m. – and will be voting on the sale of the CCNH. We need supporters of CCNH to take action TODAY to oppose the sale of CCNH at this point in time, to this bidder.

Altitude Health and Extended Care Clinical, LLC, together, are the sole bidder for purchasing the county’s nursing home. These companies are owned by members of the Rothner family, who have extensive ownership in nursing homes in multiple states.

Here is some press coverage from yesterday’s press conference:
http://foxillinois.com/news/local/local-group-raises-concerns-about-champaign-county-nursing-homes-potential-buyer

We have new reports on quality of care, and also a new report from an independent national expert! Also, we have updates on the property tax question. Please scroll through this message to find what you are looking for.

We urge you to:
* Review the research that CCHCC has compiled on these companies, which are owned by members of the Rothner family, and on nursing homes owned by the Rothners. You can see the research here:

1. NEW: IDPH Nursing Home Violations of Rothner-owned homes 2008-2018:https://www.healthcareconsumers.org/idph-quarterly-reports-on-safety-violations-for-extended-care-clinical-llc-facilities/
2. News and other reports of Rothner-owned homes in multiple states, including Rothner homes that were shut down, or denied Medicare and Medicaid payments for quality of care violations:https://www.healthcareconsumers.org/research-on-bidder-for-champaign-county-nursing-home/

* Review the report by independent national expert in healthcare valuation, James Unland (see below); and,

* Contact your County Board members by phone or e-mail and let them know you oppose the sale of the CCNH to this buyer.

Continue reading.

Description of research done – overview:

Reviewed IDPH Nursing Home Violations Quarterly reports for the period of 2008-2018, starting with the most recent first, for each of Extended Care Clinical (EEC), LLC’s 14 Illinois locations. Additional Illinois facilities owned by William “Avi” Rothner, and Eric Rothner were also included in this research.

Continue reading;

Today – Wednesday, May 23, 2018 – at 2 p.m., the Champaign County Health Care Consumers (CCHCC) will be holding a press conference to respond to the County’s Report regarding the sale of the Champaign County Nursing Home. You are welcome to attend.

CCHCC will release research that challenges the county’s conclusions in its report, including conclusions regarding the county’s due diligence and the quality of care of the nursing homes owned by the bidder who seeks to purchase the Champaign County Nursing Home. In addition, CCHCC will be announcing a forthcoming report from an independent expert.

At our press conference, we will release findings from our research into the bidder’s nursing home violations, as documented by Illinois Department of Public Health.

The County’s report on the nursing home can be viewed at:
http://www.co.champaign.il.us/CountyBoard/CB/2018/180524_Meeting/180524_Information_Packet_Regarding_CCNH_Sale.pdf

The Champaign County Board will be voting on the sale of the nursing home at its Board Meeting tomorrow, on Thursday, May 24, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.

WHO: Champaign County Health Care Consumers (CCHCC)

WHAT: Press Conference on Champaign County Nursing Home

WHEN: Wednesday, May 23, 2018 at 2 p.m.

WHERE: Champaign County Health Care Consumers (CCHCC) Office
              44 E. Main Street, Suite 208, Champaign