SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Public Health has fined Blue Island Nursing Home $5,000 (Statement of Violation) for failure to provide adequate supervision to prevent a resident from leaving the facility unsupervised. The 30-bed intermediate care facility is located at 2427 W. 127th St. in Blue Island.

Responding to a complaint, surveyors found a resident, who had a history of wandering, left the facility unnoticed. The nursing home is located in a high traffic area.

The facility was notified of the incident by a passerby who saw the resident standing alone outside the facility. The passerby said she banged on the facility door and got no response. She then called the facility from home to inform an employee the resident was locked out of the facility.

During the investigation, surveyors learned the resident made frequent attempts to leave the facility. Despite a history of wandering, the facility did not revise her care plan to address the behavior.

In addition, a staff member on duty at the time the woman left the facility said she did not hear a door alarm sound and commented there had been problems with the alarm.

A Department-ordered plan of correction required the facility to provide adequate supervision of residents and to ensure all resident-accessible exterior doors are equipped with functional alarms or constantly monitored.

Blue Island Nursing Home has requested a hearing on the Department's action. No hearing date has been set.