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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate Donald E. "Don" Fike on
4his 50th year in the profession of long-term care and community
5services; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Don Fike was born in 1947 and raised in Illinois;
7he received his undergraduate degree from the University of
8Illinois and his master's degree in health care administration
9from DePaul University; and
 
10    WHEREAS, In 1969, Don Fike applied for a job with a
11community human services agency that provided sheltered
12workshop opportunities for individuals with
13intellectual/developmental disabilities; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Next door was a nursing home with individuals who
15had intellectual/developmental disabilities; Don Fike
16recognized the difference in caring for the elderly and caring
17for those with intellectual/developmental disabilities and was
18determined to create a continuum of care that would provide, in
19a protected residential setting, coordination and integration
20of health and habilitative services to help each individual
21function at their greatest ability; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Don Fike took this vision and created Horizon
2House of Illinois Valley; Horizon House was one of the first in
3the State to be licensed as a community-based ICF/DD, providing
4services for those with intellectual/developmental
5disabilities covered by Medicaid; and
 
6    WHEREAS, In 1979, Don Fike started his own company in order
7to share his expertise and consult with human service
8providers; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Beginning in 1981, Don Fike began constructing and
10operating skilled nursing facilities throughout Illinois in
11order to offer long-term services; and
 
12    WHEREAS, In 1983, Don Fike was asked to assume control of
13the State's large developmental disability facilities in order
14to save the facilities from closure; and
 
15    WHEREAS, In 1985, Don Fike was the first to develop 15 bed
16community-based ICF/DDs to better serve individuals with
17intellectual/developmental disabilities; in his career, he has
18established over 175 facilities across the State, which have
19enriched the lives of tens of thousands of individuals; and
 
20    WHEREAS, In the early 1990s, Don Fike was also one of the
21first to develop community integrated living arrangements that

 

 

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1offered homelike supervised living for adults with
2intellectual/developmental disabilities; with no more than
3eight individuals residing in each home, over 60 CILA's were
4created, which have served thousands of individuals across the
5State; and
 
6    WHEREAS, While Don Fike continued to provide care to
7seniors in skilled nursing facilities, he envisioned another
8level of care that was not currently being offered, serving
9seniors who rely on help with daily care but did not require as
10much help as those who lived in skilled nursing facilities; he
11was instrumental in envisioning and driving the efforts to
12create assisted living licensure and rules for the program,
13which has blossomed into over 650 assisted living and
14supportive living communities across the State; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Don Fike is recognized as one of the visionary
16founders and leaders in moving individuals with
17intellectual/developmental disabilities out of State-operated
18developmental centers and creating smaller, home-like,
19quality, community-based residential homes and services
20throughout Illinois; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Don Fike has been one of the visionary leaders in
22developing and providing quality, compassionate care and
23services to seniors in skilled nursing, assisted living,

 

 

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1supportive living, and independent senior homes and
2apartments; he now operates a number of long-term care models
3in Illinois, Florida, Iowa, and Nevada; in his career, he has
4created over 50 facilities and programs, which have served
5hundreds of thousands of individuals; therefore, be it
 
6    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
7HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
8we congratulate Donald E. Fike on 50 years of serving the needs
9of individuals who need specialized care; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11presented to Don Fike as an expression of our esteem and
12respect.