March 4, 1996
TWO CHICAGO-AREA NURSING HOMES DISCIPLINED
SPRINGFIELD, IL-- The Illinois Department of Public Health has taken disciplinary action against two Chicago-area nursing homes.
Americana was fined $10,000 for failure to properly supervise a resident with Alzheimer's disease. A 77-year-old resident wandered from the facility early in the morning and was found 250 feet away, face down in a lagoon. She was pronounced dead at an area hospital two hours later.
A door alarm had sounded when the woman left the building but, when investigated by staff, another resident was near the door and it was assumed he or she had set off the alarm. No other check was made until the staff member went to the woman's room a short time later and found her missing.
Americana has requested a hearing on the Department's action. No hearing date has been set.
Sunset Manor was fined $5,000 for having heating units that exceeded the allowable surface temperature of 140 degrees accessible to residents. Department surveyors found heating units with temperatures in excess of 180 degrees.
The facility also was cited for having exterior doors that were unsupervised or without an activated alarm, exit passageways obstructed by storage, and electrical wiring that did not meet code, and for not having an approved sprinkler system.
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Illinois Department
of Public Health 535 West Jefferson Street Springfield, Illinois 62761 Phone 217-782-4977 Fax 217-782-3987 TTY 800-547-0466 Questions or Comments |