GRHS proposes $25 million long-term care project

Glencoe Regional Health Services (GRHS) Long Term Care facility was a state-of-the art facility when it was built in the early 1980s. The idea of shared rooms and centralized activities was the thing to do.
The state-of-the-art idea today is a smaller “household” concept, according to Jon Braband, chief executive officer of GRHS in his presentation to the city of Glencoe’s Planning Commission. He spoke to the commission of the proposed $25 million expansion and remodeling project at the planning commission meeting Thursday night.
The project would consist of constructing two new two-story wings with 18 single rooms per story onto the north side of the existing building. The 18-resident household would eat and have activities together, with the options of larger group activities.
The existing two of the existing four wings would be remodeled into short-term rehab rooms. The remaining two wings would become a memory care unit.
While the project has not formally been approved by the GRHS board, it has approved the hiring of an architectural and construction firm to start with the plans at a cost of around $2 million.
GRHS has been working with the city and Light and Power. The city of Glencoe owns the land the majority of GRHS’ buildings sit on and has a 99-year lease agreement for $1 per year. The agreement has been in place since 1999, when GRHS became a private nonprofit organization.
Both the city and  GRHS own land to the north of the current long-term care facility. The GRHS land is not in the city limits and would need to be annexed into the city. There are also utilities in the ground that will need to be moved.
Braband expects to complete the construction plans and bidding documents early in 2017 and, if the bids come in at or below expected, GRHS could break ground on the project next spring.
The project is expected to take 18 to 24 months with a possible completion in spring 2019.
Braband also reported another project that was scheduled to start on Monday, Sept. 12. The project will revamp the emergency rooms and ambulance port, speciality clinic areas, and main entrance to the hospital, removing the dome.
The clinic entrance will serve as the main entrance to the project.

For more from the meeting, see the Sept. 14 print edition of The Chronicle.