LaSalle County panel approves nursing-home scheduler at $24 an hour

A LaSalle County interim nursing-home administrator told the Salary & Labor Committee on Jan. 29 that scheduling for nursing staff is complex and that a dedicated nursing scheduler is needed.

"I am the interim administrator for the nursing home," Alyanna said, describing work she began Nov. 17 reviewing operations. She told the committee the nursing-home committee had approved a scheduler at $22.50 an hour, but she recommended posting the job at $24 an hour to match current certified nursing assistant wages and to support recruitment and retention.

Alyanna said scheduling problems include frequent same-day call-offs — "Like today, we had, we had 4 call ups, for the morning shift" — and that multiple staff (medical records personnel, a human-resources assistant and managers) are now cobbling together schedules. A dedicated scheduler, she said, would centralize work, improve compliance with labor and mandation rules and reduce burdens on managers.

Committee members probed details: the line item for the scheduler already exists in the FY budget, the position has been vacant since October, and hiring from within would move an employee from union coverage to nonunion status. Alyanna emphasized the role is clerical but that CNAs are preferred hires because they understand facility operations.

Chair Steve Aubrey asked for a motion to establish the nursing-scheduler rate at $24 an hour; members voted "Aye" and the motion passed.

Next steps: staff will post the position at the approved rate and proceed with hiring. The committee did not record further conditions tied to the motion; the union and internal promotion pathways were discussed as part of implementation.