Sunrise Skilled Nursing Home and Rehab, helping Virden residents and beyond!

By Cindy Ladage

Located at 333 S Wrightsman St, Virden, IL 62690, Suzy Robbins, Administrator, and Kourtney Cox Social Services Provider/Admissions shared what they offer and a bit about Sunrise. “We celebrated our 51st anniversary two years ago,” Kourtney said about the center that has been in operation since 1972.

Staff member Denise Williamson, who has been with Sunrise for 42 years, shared that when they opened in 1972, there was only the south and east wing.  “When I came in 1979, they already had the new building,”

Licensed for 99 beds, for better service, they only fill 91.  Many employees are like Denise and have been at Sunrise for quite a while, although Denise has been there the longest!  “We have lots of longevity.  This sets us apart from others,” Suzy said. “It also helps the residents to see the same faces every day. At Sunrise, we are on track to being a family.”

That family feeling expands beyond just the residents to include the staff. “Even at a personal level, we are here for one another,” Suzi added sharing that recently through an employee survey, they won a local Great Place to Work award. This award was selected from anonymous comments from approximately 65 Sunrise employees.

“We want our residents to know this is their home. When a new patient comes in, we make them feel like family.  It can be a scary transition from your home to a nursing home, and we try to make them feel as comfortable as possible,” Kourtney said.

“Our residents see us having fun, living in a skilled nursing home doesn’t have to be a bad experience,” Suzy said about trying to overcome the stigma that nursing home living has experienced in the past.

Not everyone is there for the long term, recently Sunrise added a whole new service, their Rehab to Home New Horizons. This new state-of-the-art skilled rehab unit is designed to treat a wide variety of conditions and injuries. On their website they share, “No matter your starting point, we are prepared to guide you on your path to recovery and improved functionality. Our rehab professionals utilize the latest technology and techniques to provide excellence in rehabilitative care”.

With more people trying to remain in their homes for as long as possible, this new ward offers patients that opportunity to stay and rehab or come to Sunrise for treatment and return home. Suzi added information about the new Rehab Center. “We have 28 beds, and a therapy gym offering Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Speech.”

What do they offer rehab services for? They cover inpatient Therapy (offered 7 days a week), Orthopedic Rehab, Pulmonary Care, Cardiac Care, Stroke Recovery, Wound Healing and Pain Management. Suzy added that treatment options also include IV therapy which helps those administering it to their loved ones worry less about infection and provides faster healing. “Our Director of Nursing is Wound Certified and that sets us apart from a lot of facilities,” Suzi said sharing the special training that staff at Sunrise experience.

For residential patients, at Sunrise, they also work with dietary needs for diabetic, cardiac, and renal and bariatric patients that may be there for a short while, or long-term.

At Sunrise, they also offer a dementia certified ward for up to 17 individuals.  The staff have undergone special dementia training, and they are certified by the State of Illinois, Department of Public Health. “We are one of the only dementia certified wards in the area,” Suzy added.

At Sunrise, they also offer Hospice services.  Hospice today is not the hospice of yesterday.  While hospice usually signals the end of life, occasionally patients get off hospice.  “Sometimes a patient just needs another set of hands, an extra set of eyes,” Suzi said.

Sunrise Skilled Nursing Home and Rehab is a place where the local community can learn. “During COVID, the community took a big hit, and now, we want to help in the community and offer educational and helpful activities,” Suzy added. 

Examples of activities planned in the future Suzi shared include mobile Medicare, a blood drive, and more.  “We want to be involved in the community, we are more than just a nursing home, and visibility and connection in the community is key.”

This involvement is just one of the three pillars of Sunrise.  Kourtney said, “The first is ‘Community Engagement’.  The second is “Genuine Hometown Care’, our facilities are in smaller towns.  I take care of our residents like they are my grandma,” this lifetime Virden resident shared. “The third pillar is ‘Treating Our Staff Like Family’, we want our staff to know we appreciate them.”

When enjoying staff meetings and dining opportunities, Suzy added that they always select one of the Virden local options.  She said owners and staff at the local diners now recognize her and know where she works.  From nearby Gillespie, like over half of the employees at Sunrise, she is from Macoupin County. Coming to Sunrise in November of last year Suzy said, “Everyone has taken me in, they have not made me feel like an outsider and have been very welcoming.”

Residents at Sunrise come from all over, with many of them local.  When Suzy asked a few residents if they would rather move closer to family members that may be a drive away, several had deemed they liked where they are and don’t want to move. This speaks well for the “family and feeling at home” aspect that Sunrise has to offer. For more information about Sunrise Skilled Nursing and Rehab, check out their website, Sunrise-SNR.com, or give Kourtney a call at 217-965-4715.  She will be glad to set up a tour and show you around!