A nursing home in Rock Island county is being sold to a nursing home chain, and some people worry now about how the new owner will manage the facility.
Rock Island County’s Board approved the the sale of Hope Creek Care Center in East Moline to Aperion care, who already runs facilities in Galesburg and in East Moline.
The board approved the $6 million sale, 17-5.
The vote was met by protests and public comment against the sale.
“The company that they’re going to sell to does not have a great track record,” Carla Gillispe, a protester said. “Hope Creek is second to none as far as the care they give our senior citizens and our elderly. And they’re not putting in the contract to sell the nursing home any protections for the workers or for the residents. And so that’s just wrong.”
Board members in favor of the sale said that selling hope creek would alleviate the burden on taxpayers.
But those opposed specifically singled out Aperion as being their reason to vote against.
Aperion was previously fined around $370,000 just last year, and two patients in their care at their Forest Park facility died. One escaped the facility and was later found in a river. Another was found in a pool of blood from a foot wound.
The sale of Hope Creek to Aperion is set to finalize in August.
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