August 29, 1997
BERWYN NURSING HOME DISCIPLINED
FOR IMPROPER RESIDENT CARE
SPRINGFIELD, IL — The Illinois Department of Public Health has fined Fairfax Nursing Home $10,000 for not providing appropriate care to residents with breathing tubes. The 160-bed skilled care facility is located at 3601 S. Harlem Ave., Berwyn.
During an annual inspection, Department surveyors learned that staff turned off a respirator and disconnected a breathing tube while they manually ventilated an 83-year-old resident who was having difficulty breathing. After stabilizing the resident, the employees reconnected the breathing tube, but did not restart the respirator, check the resident's respiratory status or reset the machine's alarms, which sound when a breathing problem exist. The resident, who was totally dependent on the ventilator, died.
The Department also learned that one of the two staffers caring for the resident had falsified her respiratory therapy certificate. She was fired.
In other instances, staff members were observed not following facility procedures related to sterilization and suctioning secretions from the tubes. Surveyors also noted examples of employees failing to make complete assessments and to check vital signs of ventilator-dependent residents when care was provided for breathing difficulties as required by facility policy.
Fairfax Nursing Home has not requested a hearing on the Department's action. The hearing date is Nov. 13th.
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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 |