SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Public Health has taken disciplinary action against three southern Illinois long-term care facilities:

• Cardinal Health Care, a 96-bed skilled and intermediate care facility located at 210 E. College St. in Energy;
• Colonial Plaza, a 16-bed intermediate care facility for the developmentally disabled located at 618 W. Goodner St. in Nashville; and
• Lynwood Estates, a 16-bed intermediate care facility for the developmentally disabled located at 301 Roddy Road in Salem.

Cardinal Health Care was fined $5,000 (Statement of Violation) for failing to notify a physician after a resident had a seizure lasting more than three minutes, or to implement and train nursing and direct care staff on the facility's policies and procedures for seizure emergencies.

Staff sent a fax to the physician's office at 1:25 a.m. about the resident's seizure, but did not attempt to contact the physician at home or through his answering service. The resident died at a local hospital from respiratory failure related to the seizure.

In another instance, a resident was first sent to an after-hours clinic for a possible tooth infection and two weeks later went to a dentist who refused treatment because of a paperwork mix up. The facility did not seek other help or notify the resident's physician until questioned a month later by a Department surveyor who noticed his swollen jaw.

Another dental appointment was arranged and a tooth extraction was recommended. The dentist, however, could not schedule the procedure for at least six weeks and, during that time, the resident's prescription for pain ran out and was not renewed. The facility did not contact the physician or dentist for further treatment orders while waiting for the tooth extraction.

Colonial Plaza was fined $10,000 (Statement of Violation) for failing to prevent two residents from frequently leaving the facility unsupervised; to report the incidents to the Department; to thoroughly investigate the incidents; and to take corrective action to prevent further unsupervised leaves.

Lynwood Estates was fined $5,000 (Statement of Violation) for failing to develop policies and procedures to monitor the hot water outlets accessible to residents to prevent accidental burns. A resident suffered second-degree burns when she sat in a bathtub across from her room. While water temperatures are not to exceed 110 degrees F, the temperature at the tub faucet registered 130 degrees F.

Excessive water temperatures also were found in numerous places throughout the facility and were not properly managed until plumbers replaced faulty mixing valves.

All three facilities have requested a hearing on the Department's actions. No hearing dates have been scheduled.