New looks and new capabilities will soon highlight two of central Illinois’s most prominent skilled nursing facilities. Renovations have begun for Villa Clara, and will take off quickly for McKinley Place.
“I’m extremely excited, and the buzz in the community is that they’re excited for us,” said Karrie Polen, the administrator of Villa Clara.
Delivery of both the new renovations and new capabilities has begun, with the reconstruction of the parking lot that McKinley Place shares with Villa Clara. In addition, Villa Clara is creating central Illinois’s only enhanced monitoring unit; this redesigned section of the building will utilize intensive new technology to help both our residents and our nursing staff give stronger, more specialized care to our most complex needs. Villa Clara will also become the region’s leading provider of short-term rehabilitation, cardiac care and orthopedic care, but will also add an enhanced monitoring unit with remote cardiac monitoring equipment, designed to monitor patients suffering from complex ailments and prevent rehospitalizations.
Meanwhile, McKinley Place will augment its dementia services and offer overall long-term care. This building will also expand its therapy gym, add a movie theater and dining rooms for each of its five floors and a sports bar for gatherings.
The two facilities are working with the executives of Decatur Memorial Hospital, which stands immediately south of them on the opposite side of McKinley Avenue, to ensure that what they add will enhance positive outcomes.
The administrator of McKinley Place, Kim Auton, said she felt emboldened and focused when the earthmovers showed up.
“We’re very excited to impact our community and do even more than ever before,” Auton said. “Generations is at a good point.”
