SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Public Health has fined Alden Heather Rehab and Health Care Center $50,000 (Statement of Violation) for failure to take necessary precautions to prevent a resident from leaving the facility unsupervised. The 173-bed skilled care facility is located at 15600 S. Honore St. in Harvey.

Responding to a complaint, Department surveyors learned a resident, who had a history of wandering, left the facility unnoticed and froze to death before staff found her in an alley behind the nursing home.

When staff realized the resident was missing, the building and grounds were searched and the resident was found in the snow, wearing only a T-shirt, sweat pants and slippers. Her body temperature was 84 degrees.

A review of the nurse's notes revealed that the resident would wander during the night and had previously attempted to leave the facility. Because of this behavior, her whereabouts were to be monitored every two hours. However, there was no evidence that this was done.

During the Department's investigation, surveyors observed that the facility's front doors did not have an alarm. The administrator told surveyors that the doors were monitored between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. There was no supervision of the doors during the time the resident left the facility.

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

Alden Heather Rehab and Health Care Center requested a hearing on the Department's action. No hearing date has been scheduled.