SPRINGFIELD, IL – Three Illinois nursing homes have been fined by the Illinois Department of Public Health for violating the state Nursing Home Care Act:

• Kanthak House, a 16-bed intermediate care facility for the developmentally disabled located at 724 Second Ave., Ottawa;
• Moultrie County Community Center, a 16-bed intermediate care facility for the developmentally disabled located at 240 E. State St., Lovington; and
• Scotchwood Health Care Center, a 78-bed skilled and intermediate care facility located at 1925 S. Main St., Bloomington.

Kanthak House was fined $5,000 (Statement of Violation) for failing to protect a resident from sexual abuse and for not immediately investigating allegations of abuse. The resident twice reported that she had been sexually abused by her father. The abuse allegedly occurred when her father took her out of the facility for visits.

Department investigators learned that staff did not immediately report the second allegation to the administrator as required. An employee slid a note regarding the allegation under the administrator's office door, but the administrator was out of the office for 16 days. Staff did not try to contact him by telephone. During the time the administrator was gone, there were no restrictions placed on the resident's visits and no protections put in place to prevent further sexual abuse. After learning of the allegation, the administrator did not initiate an investigation nor did he notify the Department.

Moultrie County Community Center was fined $10,000 (Statement of Violation) for failing to protect residents from abuse and to thoroughly investigate all allegations of abuse. Two residents repeatedly reported that the other resident was having non-consensual sexual contact with him and participating in other inappropriate behavior. Despite the allegations, including a report that one resident stated he was going to rape the other man while he slept, the two men remained roommates for more than a month.

The Department found the facility did not investigate these allegations nor did it have plans in place to ensure residents were protected from non-consensual interactions. The facility also failed to ensure all allegations of inappropriate contact or abuse were reported immediately to the administrator and to the Department.

Scotchwood Health Care Center was fined $5,000 (Statement of Violation) for an incident in which an elderly resident left the facility unnoticed in December when temperatures were 27 degrees F and was found lying in the snow behind the facility's garage. A Department investigation found that staff did not properly respond to a door alarm, which sounded when the resident left the building.

Kanthak House and Moultrie County Community Center have requested hearings on the Department's actions. Hearing dates have not been scheduled. Scotchwood Health Care Center did not request a hearing.