Rock Island County will continue to own its nursing home, but it'll be run by a professional manager, with a governing board of local residents. That was the decision Tuesday night by the county board after more than a year of discussion.
County board member Steve Meersman is chair of the committee that oversees the Hope Creek Care Center in East Moline. He says the board rejected selling or leasing it to a private company, and instead opted for professional management hired by a 7-member board, including a doctor, 2 county board members, and a union representative.
Meersman hopes to have applications for the governing board ready by next week, as well as a request-for-proposals for potential management companies. And both could be in place within about 3 months.
The high cost of owning and operating Hope Creek has prompted some board members to support selling it, but with help from workers, its finances have improved in recent months.
