ELKHORN — A grassroots campaign to address childcare and senior care shortages in Walworth County took further root this week, as county officials considered repurposing a vacant wing of the county-owned Lakeland Health Care Center for intergenerational use.
The development was discussed Tuesday night during a Committee of the Whole meeting, as County Administrator Mark Luberda included the option in a list of proposals for the facility’s future.
The announcement followed two days of organizing by the Groundswell Collective, a community group focused on care solutions. On Sept. 8, dozens of residents and stakeholders gathered for an Intergenerational Summit on Childcare.
The group’s “Nursery to Nursing Home: We Need Care” campaign has focused on building solutions for families, from early childhood through senior years.
Community members packed the county board room for what they called a “Day of Action for Care,” holding signs that read, “Childcare. Senior care. Nursery to Nursing Home, We Need Care!”
“There’s a vacant wing at the Lakeland Health Care Center, and the question is what to do with it,” Rev. Lily Brellenthin, pastor at Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church and a co-leader with the Groundswell Collective said. “We know two of the biggest needs in Walworth County are senior care and childcare, and combining those needs in one space has already worked well in other communities. When we heard this could be an option, our collective came together to show support.”
Organizers say the proposal would transform the unused wing into a dual-purpose facility serving both children and older adults, an approach that could become a model for other rural counties facing similar challenges.
Brellenthin said the collective’s recent success in expanding transportation access in the county gave members confidence to keep pushing.
“Last year we worked to bring Sunday VIP transportation services to the county, and it happened,” she said. “That gave us the energy to keep organizing and to take on issues like childcare and senior care.”
She added that the effort shows the power of community.
“One thing I want people to remember is that we can do things together,” Brellenthin said. “Alone, it feels impossible, but when we come together as a community, we really can accomplish so much more.”
The Lakeland Health Care Center Board of Trustees will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 17, at the Government Center in Elkhorn to decide which option to pursue. The meeting is open to the public.
The Groundswell Collective is also urging residents to contact county board members, especially the five trustees who will vote: Ken Monroe, Kathy Ingersoll, Brian Holt, Joanne Laufenberg and Joseph Schaefer.
“It’s wonderful to be part of a collective,” members said in a statement. “Certainly, we can do together what none of us could do on our own.”
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