July 22, 1999
THREE NURSING HOMES FINED
SPRINGFIELD, IL - Three central Illinois nursing homes have been fined by the Illinois Department of Public Health for violations of the state's Nursing Home Care Act:
Asta Care Center was fined $10,000 for failing to adequately supervise an 82-year-old resident who wandered unnoticed from the facility. The woman was found lying on the ground outside the facility with injuries to her head, shoulder and wrist. She was taken to the hospital for treatment and released. A Department investigation found that an alarm on an exit door had sounded, but staff did not check to see if a resident was missing. (Statement of Violation)
Bel-wood Nursing Home was fined $10,000 for an incident in which a 92-year-old man left the facility unnoticed in December when temperatures were minus 5 degrees and was found riding in his wheelchair down the side of Plank Road, which runs in front of the facility. An employee coming to work at 5:30 a.m. spotted the man and notified facility staff, who retrieved him. The man was transferred to a local hospital where he was treated for mild hypothermia and later identified with frost bite to his hands. As the result of a complaint investigation, Department surveyors determined the man was able to leave the facility because the front door was left unsupervised between midnight and 6 a.m. and was without a working alarm. (Statement of Violation)
Fairview Haven was fined $10,000 for failure to properly move a resident, report possible injuries, accurately assess the extent of the injuries or report the injuries to the person's physician. A Department investigation determined that two staffers manually lifted a 105-year-old resident from a bed to the commode and then to a wheelchair rather than use the prescribed mechanical sling.
The woman complained of pain and the following day bruises were discovered on her shoulder and both feet. A physician was not contacted until more than 14 hours after the foot pain was first noted and more than nine hours after bruising on the shoulder was noticed. The woman was transferred to the hospital on her physician's orders and found to have neck and leg fractures. She died the following day.
When questioned, a staff member who originally helped move the women said a "pop" was audible during transfer and the woman's legs had bumped the bed's siderail. (Statement of Violation)
The three facilities have requested hearings on the Department's actions. Hearing dates have not 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 |