QUINCY FACILITY FINED FOR INADEQUATE SUPERVISION

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Public Health has fined Good Samaritan Home of Quincy $5,000 (Statement of Violation) for failure to prevent a resident from leaving the facility unsupervised. The 275-bed skilled, intermediate and sheltered care facility is located at 2130 Harrison St. in Quincy.

As part of an incident report investigation, Department surveyors learned a resident with a history of wandering left the facility without staff knowledge. An employee driving home from the facility saw the resident outside in a wheelchair heading toward the street and notified staff.  

The resident left the facility through the facility's front door, which only sounds an alarm when approached by a resident wearing an electronic monitoring device. Following the incident, the resident was fitted with an electronic monitoring device and his name was added to the facility's watch list for wandering behavior.

In the month prior to the incident, the resident had become increasingly confused and was often attempting to leave the facility. The resident's care plan, however, did not address this behavior nor did it identify him at risk for wandering.

A Department-ordered plan of correction required the facility to provide adequate supervision to residents; to assess each resident for their pattern of movement in the facility and to write care plans reflecting that assessment; and to train staff on the procedures regarding exterior door alarm systems and missing residents.

Good Samaritan Home of Quincy has requested a hearing on the Department's action. No hearing date has been set.