SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The Illinois Department of Public Health has fined Meadows Mennonite Home $5,000 (Statement of Violation) for failure to prevent a resident from leaving the facility unsupervised. The 159-bed skilled, intermediate and sheltered care facility is located at 24588 Church St. in Chenoa.

As part of an incident report investigation, Department surveyors learned a resident, who wore an electronic monitoring device, left the facility without staff knowledge. A visitor saw the resident outside and notified a staff member, who found the woman walking in a ditch beside a two-lane highway.

The resident was able to leave the facility's secured dementia unit and then the building without an alarm sounding. When the resident was brought back into the facility, the resident's electronic monitoring device activated one door but not another.

Department surveyors learned at least seven employees knew the electronic monitoring system was not working properly and several residents who wore bracelets were able to walk through the doors without an alarm sounding. These incidents were not reported.

Prior to this incident, it had been more than a year since a trained technician inspected the system.

The Department-ordered plan of correction required the facility to provide adequate supervision to residents, to maintain all electrical and signaling systems in working condition, and to train staff on appropriate actions and interventions to prevent a resident from leaving the facility unsupervised.

Meadows Mennonite Home did not request a hearing on the Department's action.