May 13, 1997
CANTON NURSING HOME DISCIPLINED
FOR NEGLECTING RESIDENT NEEDS
SPRINGFIELD, IL -- The Illinois Department of Public Health has fined Renaissance Care Center of Canton $10,000 for failure to properly assess injuries to a 6-year-old resident after she fell from a chair. The 42-bed home for developmentally disabled under 22 years of age facility is located at 1675 E. Ash St.
During an annual survey, Department inspectors learned the girl, who is blind and unable to talk, broke her leg in the fall, but the injury was not diagnosed until 11 days later. The girl had slipped out of a booster chair while attending a class at the facility and, according to staff, landed on her knees and struck her face on the floor. A facility nurse examined the girl's mouth, eventually removing three of the girl's lower teeth, but did not perform any additional physical assessments.
Facility staff contacted the girl's physician a day after the incident and the doctor scheduled an appointment, which the facility later canceled due to cold weather. On the day of the rescheduled appointment, 10 days after the fall, the girl could not tolerate standing and X- rays of her hip and leg were ordered by a physician.
Without having the ordered X-rays performed, staff sent the girl to classroom instruction the next day and a teacher noticed one knee appeared to be swollen and bruised and the leg was sensitive to touch. The girl's care chart contained no notation of the bruising or swelling of the leg. An X-ray was then taken and the fracture discovered.
As a part of a mandatory plan of correction, the Department ordered the facility to provide services necessary to maintain each resident in good physical health and in accordance with their needs, and to train staff in detecting signs of illness that warrant medical intervention.
Renaissance Care Center has requested a hearing on the Department's action. No hearing date has been scheduled.
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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 |