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

• Cedarwood Health Care Center, a 58-bed intermediate care facility located at 136 S. Dipper Lane in Decatur; and
• Regency Nursing Care Residence, a 99-bed skilled, intermediate and sheltered care facility located at 2120 W. Washington St. in Springfield.

Cedarwood Health Care Center was fined $5,000 (Statement of Violation) for failing to protect a female resident from repeated episodes of sexual abuse and to follow a plan of care for a resident who was identified as a potential sex abuser.

The female resident’s care plan indicated she was at risk for abuse because she made sexually inappropriate comments and advances to other residents and staff, and is unable to make an informed consent to sexual activity.

Staff witnessed the male resident committing sexually inappropriate acts with the female resident on numerous occasions, but the incidents were not reported to the administrator. This failure prevented an investigation from being conducted and the alleged victim from being protected.

Regency Nursing Care Residence was fined $10,000 (Statement of Violation) for failing to adequately supervise residents.

A resident, who had left the facility on at least two other occasions, was found standing at a busy intersection by an off-duty staff person who returned the resident to the facility. The resident, who wore an electronic monitoring device, was able to leave undetected through the front entrance. A new nurse had turned the lobby door alarm off when staff entered and did not reset it. The facility did not report the incident to the Department.

The facility also failed to adequately supervise residents who are unable to determine right from wrong and those exhibiting inappropriate sexually behaviors.

Neither facility requested a hearing.