CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) — Champaign County has been dealing with a skilled nursing bed shortage for eight years, and the organization Advocates for Aging Care has been calling on the community for help ever since.
The crisis began after the closure of one of the county's main nursing homes, leaving the county with an estimated deficit of about 300 beds.
"Champaign County closed its nursing facility and sold it to a private individual who then closed the entire facility along with two other facilities, leaving us with the biggest deficit by a long shot in the state of Illinois," said Laurie Reynolds of Advocates for Aging Care.
Reynolds said the shortage is forcing residents to travel far from home to receive the care they need.
"About 60% of the people in our community who need skilled nursing care, either for long-term care or for rehab after a hospital stay, have to go out of town," Reynolds said. "The bottom line is that they are all going far from home and their families are unable to visit them the way they would like to."
Champaign County is one of only two counties in the state facing this kind of deficit, but changes are on the way.
A new skilled nursing facility is in the works in Savoy, and Reynolds said it will be unlike any traditional nursing home.
"We're doing something very different from the traditional nursing home," Reynolds said. "It's a family atmosphere, a caring atmosphere. It's not institutional. It's going to be a world of difference for Champaign County."
Reynolds emphasized that the benefits of getting this facility up and running would be enormous for the community, but the organization needs support from county leaders to make it happen.
"We've come a really long way in these last three years, and we're close, but we need help from the county to get there," Reynolds said.
The new facility could be ready for use by 2028.
If you would like to learn more about the Advocates for Aging Care or how you can help, visit their website.
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