Thursday, September 18, 2003 11:19 AM CDT
Illinois Masonic Home reaching out to out-of-state Masons, public
BY BOB FALLSTROM, Staff Writer
SULLIVAN -- Traditions are toppling at the Illinois Masonic Home as its 100th anniversary approaches.
As of Sept. 1, out-of-state Masons and family members are being admitted for the first time, along with some members of the general public, said Teresa Crawford, the first woman to serve as administrator. Previously, only Illinois Masons and their families were eligible.
A couple with Masonic affiliation in Massachusetts were the first to arrive.
Two duplexes will be built as the assisted living program is expanded from the present 10 buildings. Apartments are also available.
The life-care program, in which a resident surrenders all assets, was amended two years ago in favor of a fee-for-service plan. The fee for sheltered care residents and nursing care residents varies. There is an initial fee for an apartment and a duplex, with maintenance fees of $395 a month.
The first Masonic Home building opened in 1904. There are now 15 buildings, plus the duplexes, situated on 33 acres, with 185 residents and about 150 employees. Ninety-five residents are in the nursing care program.
The buildings, all interconnected, include an activity building, a medical center, a hospital, a chapel, a greenhouse and an administration building. An adjacent farm, more than 250 acres, is rented.
"We are a retirement community, not a nursing home," Crawford said.
"While the nursing home business is struggling, we have multiple levels of service. Hopefully, we will be certified for Medicare services.
"We want to be here another 100 years," she said.
Crawford was hired March 1 to replace the retiring James K. Wayne, administrator since 1996. A volleyball player at Cheyenne, Wyo., and at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D., she worked at a health care facility in LaGrange before being transferred to Mattoon in 1997.
In November 2001, she was named regional director of operations for Douglas Care & Rehabilitation, based in Mattoon and consisting of five facilities in Illinois and Wisconsin. Then came the opportunity at the Illinois Masonic Home.
"The Lord seems to have had things planned out for me," she said.
She married Brian Crawford of Sullivan in 1998 and has three small children.
She is the Masonic Home's 10th administrator. James E. Hart had the longest tenure, from 1964 to 1996.
Hart's daughter, Brenda Winskill, is director of admissions and resident services. She grew up on the grounds, and has been working there for 21 years as of Nov. 1.
"The new fee procedure and admissions policy is something being done in Masonic homes across the nation," Winskill said. "It enables us to help more people."
Ahead is the 100th anniversary celebration, scheduled June 27.
Contact Bob Fallstrom at bfallstrom@herald-review.com or 421-7981.
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