PUBLIC TO HAVE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT
ON NURSING HOME ISSUES

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Public Health’s Long-Term Care Facilities Advisory Board will hold a public forum Wednesday to give interested parties a chance to talk about abuse and neglect issues in nursing homes.

The public forum will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday, May 11, in the Carnegie Room of Lincoln Public Library, 326 S. 7th St. in Springfield. The board’s regular meeting will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The two-hour forum, themed “Abuse and Neglect Reporting,” will begin with presentations from healthcare experts on current rules and procedures for reporting instances of abuse or neglect that occur in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Following the presentation, members of the public will be given the opportunity to give their views and experiences on abuse and neglect issues.

The 14-member board was appointed by Dr. Eric E. Whitaker, state public health director, to consult with the Department and the residents’ advisory councils at nursing homes in Illinois and to advise the Department on the creation of new rules pertaining to the Nursing Home Care Act.

The board meets four times a year and the public is welcome to attend. Two of the four meetings each year will include a public forum.

Advanced registration is not required, but persons interested in speaking are encouraged to contact Susan Quinn in the Department’s Division of Long Term Care at 217-785-2629. Those planning to speak are asked to submit a written copy of their comments.

Persons who do not contact the Department in advance may fill out a form prior to the meeting asking to make a presentation. The form must be filled out or the speaker must be on the agenda in order to make a presentation to the board. The amount of time allotted per presenter will depend on the number of persons presenting that day.

If questions are asked of the board, they will be answered to the extent possible. If a question cannot be answered, the board will provide a response to the question at the next board meeting.