Rochelle Rehabilitation & Health Care Center, also known as West Rochelle Nursing & Rehab Center, is a skilled nursing facility located at 900 N 3rd St in Rochelle, Illinois, where residents can get different types of care, including short-term rehab, long-term nursing, memory care, assisted and independent living, home care, and respite care, and many people who live there have needed daily help for years, with some having been there for up to 30 years and a good number using wheelchairs or needing help getting from bed to chair, help with toileting, or extra support for dementia. The staff do their best to focus on resident comfort and aim to act caring and attentive across all care levels, with same-day appointments for sick residents, online check-in to save time, and a patient portal called RCHMyChart for 24-hour health information access, plus emergency room and ambulatory surgery services where staff are said to be compassionate and careful. Residents can use physical, occupational, and speech therapy, transportation to appointments, oxygen therapy, 24-hour pharmacy and lab services, and imaging, including mammograms, with early detection services for things like cancer, and there's a social service and activity department that sets up parties, outings, and other group activities so people can stay connected.
There's a rehab department with a Swing Bed program to help bridge the gap from hospital care to home, and the facility offers both skilled and intermediate nursing for those who can't live on their own due to health limitations, including support for illnesses like Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and AIDS. Over the years, the center has had a history of staffing shortages, with CNA staffing hours often dropping below the recommended 2.0 hours per resident per day-which was the case for 37% of days in 2021-resulting in state surveyors finding care quality problems, including some reports of actual harm, various months with CMS's lowest ratings in overall, staffing, and health inspection categories, and its addition to the NHAA Watchlist for multiple deficiencies and harm findings. Residents' needs here are often high, with more than half shown to live with dementia, almost two-thirds needing wheelchairs or being bedbound, and most needing help moving or with toileting.
The center has been through changes, with a recent shift in ownership from Petersen Healthcare and now managed by Highlight Healthcare, but it has also faced trouble with a sudden and unplanned closure, which affected residents and staff deeply, causing evacuation orders that were later extended and leading to emotional and practical challenges as people had to move, with efforts made to allow more time for relocation. On top of the basic and rehabilitative care, the center offers various individualized programs, rehabilitation services, medical interventions, and support for residents who stay a short time to recover between hospital and home or who require long-term living in a safe setting, giving people in Rochelle and nearby areas a place to get a broad range of healthcare and daily support services, though there have been ongoing challenges with staffing and reported care standards. The center's reviews average out to a 3.2 rating, and it continues to be known in the community for providing support to seniors with complicated health needs, though it's important for families to stay alert to changes in operations and service quality.
