NURSING HOME VIOLATIONS FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Public Health today announced the following type “A” violations of the Nursing Home Care Act were cited during the month of November. An “A” violation, which is the most serious licensure violation levied by the state, pertains to a condition in which there is a substantial probability that death or serious mental or physical harm will result.

The statement of violation for each facility can be obtained by visiting the Department’s Web site at www.idph.state.il.us.

Alden Village Health Facility for Children and Adults, a 109-bed facility for persons under 22 years of age located at 267 E. Lake St. in Bloomingdale, has been fined $10,000 for failing to follow the facility’s policy and procedure related to reporting abuse and inconsistent medical findings. Support staff reported a resident with profound mental retardation had signs of being pregnant, but nursing staff categorized her symptoms as constipation. As a result, the resident did not receive prenatal care until she was seven months pregnant. The facility also failed to implement their policy for resident abuse by not conducting a complete investigation of how the woman became pregnant. The facility has requested a hearing on the Department’s action. No hearing date has been set.

Anchorage of Bensenville, a 225-bed skilled and intermediate care facility located at 111 E. Washington in Bensenville, has been fined $10,000 for failure to ensure an emergency protocol for life threatening situations was in place and emergency equipment was readily available on all units. The facility also failed to ensure staff followed physician orders and initiated emergency measures. Staff did not initiate cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) when a resident was found unresponsive, not breathing and without a pulse. In addition, the facility did not follow their policy and procedure for Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) forms and some resident charts did not match their code status. The facility has requested on the Department’s action. No hearing date has been set.

Boxwood Health Care Center, a 60-bed skilled care facility located at 418 S. Memorial Park Drive in Newman, has been fined $25,000 for allegedly verbally, physically and mentally abusing five residents. Facility staff was aware of the abuse and did not immediately report it. A staff member has been accused of yelling at the residents, and using threatening language, pulling their hair, force feeding them and slapping them in the face. The facility has requested a hearing on the Department’s action. A prehearing is set for December 27.

California Gardens Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a 293-bed skilled care facility located at 2829 S. California Blvd. in Chicago, has been fined $10,000 for not administering medications as ordered by a physician and not properly documenting medications as given with regard to two residents. This lack of observation and services resulted in one resident suffering from multiple seizures. The facility has requested a hearing on the Department’s action. No hearing date has been set.

Crestwood Care Centre, a 303-bed skilled care facility located at 14255 S. Cicero Ave. in Crestwood, has been fined $10,000 for failure to notify a resident’s physician regarding his inability to swallow and lack of nutrition and hydration for four days. The facility did not notify the resident’s family of a developing pressure sore, an inability to walk and inadequate nutritional intake that resulted in a significant weight loss. Staff failed to promptly assess, monitor and notify the resident’s physician when the resident developed a respiratory condition, which caused him to be placed on life support for three days. The facility has requested a hearing on the Department’s action. No hearing date has been set.

Embassy Care Center, a 171-bed skilled care and intermediate facility located at 555 W. Kahler in Wilmington, has been fined $50,000 for failing to notify a resident’s physician immediately after a fall, which resulted in a cerebral hemorrhage. The facility also did not follow their policy on handling head injuries by not conducting frequent neurological checks. The facility has requested a hearing on the Department’s action. No hearing date has been set.

Freeport Rehab and Health Care Center, a 143-bed skilled care facility located at 900 S. Kiwanis Drive in Freeport, has been fined $10,000 for failure to follow doctor’s orders and initiate CPR on a resident who died. The facility did not educate staff on CPR protocol to ensure staff was knowledgeable on how to identify a resident who is a full code or had a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) request. The facility failed to ensure its policy for marking charts to indicate code status was followed and the physician order sheets matched each resident’s code status. The facility has requested a hearing on the Department’s action. No hearing date has been set.

Heritage Manor-Gibson City, a 75-bed skilled care facility located at 620 E. First St. in Gibson City, has been fined $50,000 for failure to notify the resident’s primary care physician in a timely manner after a test revealed an abnormally low oxygen level. Facility staff also failed to recognize critical vital signs, which delayed physician notification and medical treatment. The facility has not yet requested a hearing but is still within the allotted time to do so.

Lewis and Clark Manor, a 16-bed skilled care facility located at 56 Chouteau Trace Parkway in Pontoon Beach, has been fined $5,000 for neglecting to take the necessary steps to prevent a resident from leaving the facility unnoticed. Police returned the resident to the facility unharmed. The facility also failed to take corrective actions after the resident left the facility unattended on several occasions. The facility has requested a hearing on the Department’s action. A prehearing is set for December 21.

Mercy Health Care Rehabilitation Center, a 259-bed skilled care facility located at 19000 Halsted St. in Homewood, has been fined $50,000 for failure to provide appropriate wound care per physician’s orders to at least 52 residents. Residents who suffered from skin ulcers and pressure sores had dressings that, in some cases, went unchanged for days and were saturated with fluid. The facility also failed to ensure medications were administered according to a physician’s orders. In addition, the facility did not provide a bed large enough to accommodate the needs of two residents who are obese and, as a result, they suffered from bedsores. Three residents had suffered weight loss due to staff’s lack of assistance during meal times and the absence of care plans addressing their nutritional needs. The facility has requested a hearing on the Department’s action. No hearing date has been set.

Rose Garden Convalescent Center, a 110-bed skilled and intermediate care facility located at 129 Garner Lane in Peoria Heights, has been fined $10,000 for failure to have a system to monitor the effects of a blood thinning medication administered to a resident. Staff also did not document when medicine was given as ordered. The facility has requested a hearing on the Department’s action. A prehearing has been set for December 27.