SPRINGFIELD, IL – Alden-Princeton Rehabilitation and Health Care Center has been fined $5,000 (Statement of Violation) by the Illinois Department of Public Health for failure to prevent a resident from wandering away from the facility unnoticed. The 225-bed skilled care facility is located at 255 W. 69th St. in Chicago.

As part of an incident investigation, Department surveyors learned a resident, who had a history of wandering, left the facility unnoticed.

After staff discovered the resident was missing, the buildings and grounds were searched to no avail. About 30 minutes later, the resident was found unharmed by police a couple blocks from the facility.

The resident had been able to leave the third floor, which has an elevator with a key pad that requires a code to operate, and pass two nurses' stations and the receptionist's window at the front door without being noticed.

The Department-ordered plan of correction required the facility to provide residents with adequate supervision and to train staff on how to assess resident risk of elopement and to identify and monitor high-risk patients. The facility also was ordered to ensure all exterior doors are equipped with functional alarms or are constantly monitored.

Alden-Princeton Rehabilitation and Health Care Center has requested a hearing on the Department's action. No hearing date has been set.