"SHSI Certificate of Recognition"
"Best on the Web"


Encyclopedia Dubuque

www.encyclopediadubuque.org

"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN

Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.




SUNNYCREST MANOR

From Encyclopedia Dubuque
Revision as of 18:17, 27 August 2017 by Randylyon (talk | contribs)
Jump to navigation Jump to search
San.jpg

SUNNYCREST MANOR. In 1980, Sunnycrest opened the Sunrise ICF/MR unit becoming one of the first community-based intermediate care facilities for persons with mental retardation. In 2001, Sunnycrest Manor implemented the “Home & Heart” program. The facility became Medicare certified to provide skilled nursing and rehabilitation services in May of 2005. Sunnycrest is also contracted with the Veterans Administration to provide long term care services for eligible veterans. (9)

Care and services provided at Sunnycrest Manor was under the direction of the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors. The Dubuque County Hospital Board of Trustees were elected officials responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of Sunnycrest buildings, grounds and equipment. (10)

In 2001, Sunnycrest Manor implemented the “Home & Heart” program. This innovative resident-centered care program became a model example of nursing home culture change. (11)

On January 27, 2014 the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a contract worth at least $170,000 with Minneapolis-based Health Dimensions Group which would look for cost-saving changes in the operation of Sunnycrest. At the time of the action, the county-owned, long-term care facility required about $3 million in county tax money annually to cover its financial shortfalls. (12)

Undated postcard. Photo courtesy: Mike Larkin

A new federal medication program at Sunnycrest promised up to $600,000 annual savings on prescription drug costs according to an announcement made in January 2015. The 340B drug pricing program provided discounted medications to qualifying facilities that served uninsured and under-insured patients. Drug companies agreed to provide certain medications at a set price with the difference in cost available to those facilities strictly to spend for life-enrichment purposes. County supervisors were also informed that expenses for the current budget year were expected to fall from $10.7 million to $10.3 million. Revenue was expected to increase about $600 to $8.5 million. (13)

In February 2015 the Dubuque County Hospital Board began exploring whether a new facility would be more cost-efficient and serve the needs of the residents better than the present site. The board voted to hire consultant Health Dimensions Group to assist in planning and future facilities needs. HDG had been working at Sunnycrest for above a year to improve operations and staffing. The board of trustees receives about $1 million in taxes annually to oversee maintenance costs for the county-owned long-term care facility with oversight from the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors. (14)

On September 5, 2015 it was announced that Cristine Kirsch, the present administrator of Dubuque's LUTHER MANOR had been chosen to lead Sunnycrest. When she began her work on September 28th, she became the facility's first non-interim leader in nearly twenty months. The former administrator Cathy Hedley resigned in February 2014 during a consultant's review of the facility's operations. Kelly McMahon, an employee of HDG, the county's consulting firm, directed the facility until May. (15)

In July 2016 it was announced that a 32-bed building that would connect to the main facility through a walkway was being planned for Dubuque County’s Sunnycrest Manor care facility. The existing facility in Dubuque currently had 77 skilled-nursing beds and 28 beds for disabled adults. (16)

Based on a future-needs study from consultant Health Dimensions Group, the trustees were interested in adding assisted-living and memory-care services in the new building. While other local care facilities also plan to add memory care services, Sunnycrest would serve indigent county residents. Sunnycrest would need to apply for and receive a certificate of need from the Iowa Department of Public Health for any new services to be offered. The trustees also talked about a “second phase” project that would remodel the second and third floors of the existing facility to make more rooms with a private bathroom. (17)

On April 1, 2016 three managed-care companies took over Iowa's Medicaid program which provided health care for an estimated 560,000 poor and disabled Iowa residents. Delays in Medicaid payments led to cash flow problems in payroll and operating expenses. It was announced in August 2016 that the Dubuque County Board of Supervisors had approved a $1.75 million debt agreement for Sunnycrest to help handle cash flow problems. (18)

With operational expenses projected to be $650,000 over budget during the current fiscal year, the Sunnycrest Manor Advisory Board of Directors in November 2016 considered whether a nonprofit entity would be better suited than to operate the facility. Such an idea had been proposed in a consultant report commissioned by the Dubuque County Hospital Board of Trustees which oversaw the building and grounds of Sunnycrest. (19)

On January 3, 2017 two of three Dubuque County supervisors did not support a suggestion to explore having a private company operate Sunnycrest. The suggestion came after hearing the projected need of approximately $1.7 million additional funding to cover the deficit by the end of the fiscal year in June. This was in addition to the $1.4 million already budgeted as an operating subsidy. (20)


The 1977 through 2014 Dubuque City Directory listed 2375 Roosevelt St.

See: SUNNYCREST SANITORIUM