New administrator reports for Illinois Veterans’ Home – LaSalle

Chronicle Media
Sherri Whitmer is the Veterans' Home Administrator for the Illinois Veterans’ Home.

Sherri Whitmer is the Veterans’ Home Administrator for the Illinois Veterans’ Home.

The Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs announced on May 12 that following an extensive selection process, Sherri Whitmer of Princeton, Ill. is now the Veterans Home Administrator for the Illinois Veterans’ Home – LaSalle (IVH-LaSalle).

“We are very pleased that Sherri Whitmer is joining our team and look forward to the leadership she will provide at our LaSalle Veterans’ Home,” said Erica Jeffries, Army veteran and Director, IDVA.  “Her track record of excellence, expertise, and proven record of accomplishment equip her well to lead our staff at LaSalle in providing the highest quality of care for our veteran residents.”

She comes to the IDVA from a private skilled nursing care facility where she was the Home Administrator.  Prior to that, Ms. Whitmer worked in the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) for more than 17 years as a Human Services Caseworker. Whitmer is a 2009 University of Phoenix graduate and holds an Illinois Nursing Home Administrator license.

She looks forward to getting back involved in the Princeton community area where she used to live, some 20 miles away from the LaSalle Home.  She has two daughters and a granddaughter.

While her first day in the LaSalle Home was May 4, 2015, today marks the complete hand-over in responsibilities, as the IVH-LaSalle had been under the leadership of Lenard Winnicki since John Koehler’s retirement in December 2014.

The Veterans’ Home opened in December 1990, and is located in a residential area on the northeast side of the city of LaSalle, in LaSalle County, on a campus of slightly more than four acres.  The Home provides skilled nursing services for veterans with a total capacity of 200 residents, including 40 special needs beds programs and services to eligible veterans.

The IDVA operates four Illinois Veterans’ Homes which are fully staffed with caring and dedicated professionals who provide quality long-term skilled care and services to resident members. Volunteers from veteran service organizations and the local community provide many additional supporting services and activities to the veterans.

Each Home is licensed by the Illinois Department of Public Health and certified by the US Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center of Jurisdiction.  The Homes work closely with the local healthcare community to ensure that each resident’s specific health care needs are met.  Emphasis is given to ensuring that each resident member is well cared for, has a full quality of life, and enjoys a caring, supportive environment.