LAHARPE FACILITY FINED FOR INADEQUATE SUPERVISION

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Public Health has fined LaHarpe-Davier Health Care Center $5,000 (Statement of Violation) for failure to prevent a resident from leaving the facility unnoticed. The 49-bed skilled care facility is located at 101 B St. in LaHarpe.

As part of an incident report and complaint investigation, Department surveyors learned a resident walked away from the facility unnoticed. A citizen saw the woman standing outside a church about three blocks from the facility and notified staff. The facility is surrounded on all sides by city streets, one of which is a busy state highway.

The resident had a history of wandering and had been fitted with an electronic monitoring device, but staff could not recall hearing an alarm sound at the time of the resident’s disappearance.

Staff determined that the resident left through a door she had been seen trying to pry open with her fingers or a spoon. During the survey, the administrator demonstrated how the door could still be pried open.