July 11, 1997

SPRINGFIELD, IL — The Illinois Department of Public Health has taken disciplinary action against three central Illinois nursing homes:

• McKinley Terrace, a 204-bed skilled care facility located at 2530 N. Monroe St., Decatur, in Macon County.

• Countryview Living Center, a 110-bed intermediate care facility for the developmentally disabled located at Main Street and Route 121, Latham, in Logan County.

• Lexington House Nursing Center, a 52-bed intermediate care facility located at 301 S. Vine St., Lexington, in McLean County.

McKinley Terrace was fined $10,000 for failing to provide a resident with emergency care after a 76-year-old male resident became trapped between the frame and siderails on his bed. Facility employees called 911 when they could not free the man, but did not provide life-supporting measures. The man died shortly after being extricated by emergency rescue workers.

Countryview Living Center was fined $10,000 for failing to meet the nursing needs of its residents. In the course of an annual survey, Department surveyors discovered instances where residents were not properly monitored and weighed to ensure they received adequate nourishment:

• A 20-year-old male resident lost 17 pounds in less than three weeks and was eventually hospitalized due to dehydration.
• A 32-year-old female resident was 25 pounds under her ideal weight and, although directed by facility nutritionists to monitor the resident's food intake, a three-week check of the woman's records found staff checked less than half her meals.
• A resident who is fed through a tube was not given the amount of food ordered by her physician and she lost more than 16 pounds in five months. Staff also did not check the tube for proper placement before administering medications or clean the tube between feeding and providing medications to prevent blockage. In two months, the woman had twice been sent to the hospital because the tube was plugged.

Other violations noted included failure to properly care for incontinent residents, feeding a resident with a feeding tube while the resident was laying flat and not ensuring a resident received physical therapy per a physician's order. The Department also fined Countryview $10,000 earlier this year for not meeting the nursing needs of the residents.

Lexington House Nursing Center was fined $10,000 for two instances of resident abuse:

• Despite complaining of hip pain, facility staff forced an 84-year-old female resident to walk to the bathroom and excluded her from eating with the other residents because she would not walk to her dining table. X-rays revealed a pelvic fracture.
• A staff member stuffed a rolled-up sock in the mouth of a 76-year-old female resident to keep her from screaming while the employee positioned a pillow between the resident's knees. The woman also was cursed by the staff member for incontinence.

McKinley Terrace, Countryview Living Center and Lexington House Nursing Center have requested hearings on the Department's actions. No hearing dates have been set.

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