DuPage Care Center: committee approves equipment and supply contracts, grants residency waiver; facility joins Northwestern post-acute network

The DuPage County Human Services Committee approved multiple procurement contracts for the DuPage Care Center, granted a residency waiver allowing a husband to join his spouse at the facility, and heard staff say the center will join Northwestern Medical Center’s post-acute accountable care network.

Committee action: Members approved a contract to Allco Sales and Service Company for wheelchair parts, supplies and accessories for the DuPage Care Center for the period Aug. 6, 2025, through Aug. 5, 2027, with a contract ceiling not to exceed $19,000; they also approved a maintenance-and-support agreement with Rxium Inc. (for the fast pack irrigation dispensing machine in the DuPage Care Center pharmacy) for the period Sept. 1, 2025, through Aug. 31, 2026, not to exceed $16,844.99; and approved a purchase of over-bed tables (listed in the transcript as Henry Shining or Deluxe Top Over Bed Tables) for the North and South neighborhoods for July 2, 2025, through July 1, 2026, not to exceed $15,260.60. All motions were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote or roll call as recorded in the meeting.

Residency waiver: The committee approved a residency waiver request to allow an in-county applicant to be admitted alongside a spouse already at the center. County staff reported bed availability figures in the transcript: eight male beds were available (four already assigned to in-county applicants) and 14 female beds were available (three already assigned). Committee members confirmed on the record that no resident would be displaced by the admission; the motion to approve the waiver passed by voice vote.

Network participation: County staff told the committee the DuPage Care Center has been in the post-acute network for CDH Northwestern Medical Center since a successful application submitted about six years earlier, and the network recently launched its own accountable care organization (ACO). Staff said the county had asked to be part of the ACO and that county counsel or designated staff (Renee, as referenced) had reviewed the contract; staff said they would move forward with participation.

Why it matters: The contracts supply medical equipment and pharmacy maintenance that support resident care. Approving the residency waiver preserves family placement and, according to staff, will not displace other county residents. Participation in a Northwestern-affiliated ACO may affect referral patterns and care coordination for the facility, increasing its priority for referrals, staff said.

Questions on the record addressed rooming: when a committee member asked whether a husband and wife can occupy the same room, staff answered, “If they choose to, yes.” The transcript shows no recorded dissent on the listed procurement items, the residency waiver, or the decision to proceed with the ACO arrangement.