SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Illinois Department of Public Health has fined Harrisburg Care Center $5,000 (Statement of Violation) for failure to prevent a resident from leaving the facility unsupervised. The 68-bed skilled care facility is located at 1000 W. Sloan St. in Harrisburg.

Responding to a complaint, Department surveyors learned a resident, who had a history of attempting to leave the facility, wandered away unnoticed on a day that the heat index was 98 degrees F. The resident was found lying in the middle of an intersection about a mile from the facility and transported to a local hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.

An incident investigation found that staff did not hear an alarm sound when the resident left the facility.

Despite the resident's frequent attempts to leave the facility and an assessment that showed he wandered aimlessly at times, the administrative staff did not consider the resident to be an elopement risk and did not fit him with an electronic monitoring device until after the incident. In addition, there was no evidence that the resident's whereabouts were monitored prior to the incident.

The Department-ordered plan of correction required the facility to assess residents for their pattern of activity or movement in the facility, to ensure that direct care staff are made aware of the level of care and supervision required by each resident they are assigned to, and to ensure doors are visually monitored when alarms are turned off.

Harrisburg Care Center has requested a hearing on the Department's action. No hearing date has been scheduled.