SPRINGFIELD, ILL – The Illinois Department of Public Health has fined three northern Illinois facilities for violating the state Nursing Home Care Act:

• Alden-Park Strathmoor, 189-bed skilled care facility located at 5668 Strathmoor Drive in Rockford (Winnebago County);
• New Beginnings Care Centre, a 55-bed skilled care facility located at 1000 Dixon Ave. in Rock Falls (Whiteside County); and
• Pinecrest Manor, a 143-bed skilled and intermediate care facility located at 414 S. Wesley Ave. in Mount Morris (Ogle County).

Alden-Park Strathmoor was fined $5,000 (Statement of Violation), for an incident in which a resident sustained cuts to his left hand and knee after leaving the facility unnoticed. During the month prior to this incident, the resident made 22 attempts to leave the facility and, on the day of the incident, the resident had made three attempts to leave before succeeding. Department investigators learned the facility failed to follow its procedure for responding to door alarms. Staff did not thoroughly investigate the reason for a door alarm sounding nor did they determine that all residents were safe and accounted for.

New Beginnings was fined $10,000 (Statement of Violation), for failing to train supervisory staff on the facility's abuse prevention policy, to ensure staff immediately report allegations of sexual abuse to the administrator and to investigate such allegations. Department surveyors learned staff observed inappropriate behavior between two male residents on at least four occasions, but did not immediately investigate the incidents or report them to the administrator.

Pinecrest Manor was fined $10,000 (Statement of Violation), after one resident died and two sustained injuries when they got caught in the side rails of their beds. All three residents had identical beds with the same side rails. Even after the two residents were injured, staff did not evaluate the use of these side rails nor take corrective action.

All three facilities have requested hearings on the Department's actions. No hearing dates have been scheduled.