SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Illinois Department of Public Health has moved to revoke the operating license of East Side Terrace and fined the facility $30,000 (Statement of Violation) for failure to provide appropriate health care services. The 16-bed intermediate care facility for the developmentally disabled is located at 3850 E. Fulton Ave. in Decatur.

The owners of East Side Terrace have requested a hearing to contest the Department's action and, as a result, the revocation action will be delayed until a hearing has been held. No hearing date has been scheduled.

The Department gave notice it intends to revoke East Side Terrace's license due to the facility's failure to implement an imposed plan of correction ordered last year to ensure staff were aware of their responsibilities during a medical emergency.

As part of an incident report investigation, Department surveyors found the facility did not provide prompt treatment to a resident who suffered a seizure and later died.

Following the seizure, staff called the facility nurse, who told them to check the resident's vitals. The resident had low blood pressure and pulse and his breathing was shallow. After this initial check, staff did not monitor the resident's pulse again.

The nurse called the resident's stepmother and informed her the resident had a blood pressure and pulse and staff was with him. The stepmother, who is a registered nurse, stopped by the facility on her way to work and found her stepson not breathing and without a pulse. She had staff call for an ambulance and she, along with an employee, performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until paramedics arrived.

The facility failed to follow its policy to immediately call for emergency medical care and initiate CPR when a resident is found unresponsive and has no written "Do Not Resuscitate" order, which he did not have. The policy also states an ambulance be immediately requested if a resident is unresponsive after having a seizure.

A Department-ordered plan of correction required the facility to review and revise, as necessary, its policies to ensure residents are protected from neglectful situations, and to train staff to administer proper and appropriate nursing care and emergency treatment.

East Side Terrace was fined $10,000 in September 2003 for failing to provide medical intervention for an unresponsive resident, for not thoroughly investigating the incident or for not retraining staff after the resident's death. Following the incident, the facility was ordered to review and revise its policies concerning staff's responsibilities during a medical emergency and to train staff on when CPR should be given.