SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Public Health has fined Lee Manor $10,000 (Statement of Violation) for repeated failures to prevent a resident from leaving the facility unsupervised. The 282-bed skilled care facility is located at 1301 Lee St. in Des Plaines.

During an incident investigation, Department surveyors learned a resident left the facility 16 times in a 10-month period. On five other occasions, the resident cut off an electronic monitoring device, but staff did not make changes to the resident's care plan to address the behavior.

In the latest incident, the resident was found by police at a hotel and was returned unharmed to the facility. A door alarm sounded when the resident left, but a staff member said she only looked at the door from a distance and did not check to see why the alarm was activated. She realized the resident was missing about an hour later, although the resident was to be checked every 15 minutes.

A Department-ordered plan of correction required the facility to train staff on appropriate actions and interventions to prevent a resident from leaving the facility unsupervised, includin how to identify and monitor high risk residents.

Lee Manor has requested a hearing on the Department's action. No hearing date has been set.