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Every resident in an Illinois nursing home lives within it tight environment and shares living spaces, dining rooms, resident rooms, eating utensils, and linens. Because of that, the nursing staff must follow procedures and protocols that minimize the spread of infection on the patient and between residents. Unfortunately, not every nursing facility provides adequate training and ongoing monitoring of the nursing staff to ensure that these protocols are followed, which is often to the detriment to the resident’s health. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have represented residents of Illinois skilled nursing homes like Mosaic of Uptown who have suffered harm from preventable infections caused by the negligent actions of caregivers.
Mosaic of Uptown
This Nursing Home is a ‘for profit’ Medicaid/Medicare-approved facility providing cares and services to residents of Chicago and Cook County, Illinois. The 310-certified-bed Center is located at:
4920 North Kenmore
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 769-2700
Chicago Nursing Home Resident Safety Concerns
Families can obtain a historical list of all filed complaints, safety concerns, health violations and opened investigations of every facility nationwide at Medicare.gov. The information can be used to determine the level of health and hygiene care every community nursing home provides its residents.
Currently, Mosaic of Uptown maintains an overall one out of five available star rating in the Medicare star rating analysis system compared to all other facilities nationwide. This includes three out of five stars for quality measures, two out of five stars for staffing concerns and one out of five stars for health inspections. The Cook County nursing home neglect attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have located many safety concerns, deficiencies and violations at this facility that include:
- Failure to Follow Procedures and Protocols That Eliminate the Spread of Infection
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 04/14/2016, a state surveyor opened a formal complaint against the facility for its failure to “follow their infection control policies in areas of proper hand hygiene.” The deficient practice the nursing staff affected one resident “reviewed for infection control.”
The deficient practice was first noted in the state investigator’s findings after an observation was made in the late morning of 04/13/2016 when a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) “was performing perineal care for [the resident].” The CNA “had a pair of gloves on.” The resident “was lying on their left side, facing the door. There was an odorous a semi-soft brownish-yellowish substance coming out of the [the resident’s] rectum and was on the [the resident’s] buttocks, bed linens, and incontinent brief.”
The Certified Nursing Assistant cleansed the resident’s perineal area with a towel soaked in water and “placed the towel that was used on top of the incontinence brief and then placed the towels and incontinence brief by the foot area on [the resident’s] bed [...and] took linens off [the resident] and placed the incontinent brief on [the resident].”
After completing the incontinence care, the observation was made that the CNA “did not perform any hand hygiene before putting on the incontinent brief and pad [...and] looked at the newly placed incontinence brief and said to [the resident] ‘oh, you wet again’.”
While the CNA did remove their gloves and wash their hands with soap and water before donning a new pair of gloves to perform perineal care again, the CNA “did not change gloves or perform any hand hygiene before putting on a new incontinence brief and gown on [the resident]. The investigator noted that the actions of the CNA failed to follow the facility’s 2014 Hand Washing Policy that reads in part:
“All facility personnel must wash their hands for 20 seconds under the following conditions; … After handling contaminated objects; before handling clean or soiled dressing/linen/etc.… After handling soiled dressing/linen/contaminated equipment… After contact with blood, body fluids, excretions, secretions, mucous membranes or non-intact skin.”
In a separate summary statement of deficiencies dated 01/21/2016, a notation was made by a state surveyor during an annual licensure and certification survey involving the facility's failure to "have housekeeping staff proficient and proper technique clean C. diff (Clostridium difficile) isolation rooms.”
The investigator also noted the facility’s failure “to perform hand hygiene for [one resident] with C. diff.” This deficient practice by the nursing staff “has the potential to affect all residents in the facility.” As a part of the investigation, the surveyor interviewed the housekeeping supervisor on the facility’s policy “on cleaning C. diff isolation rooms.” When the surveyors asked housekeepers on the proper way to clean resident’s room under contact isolation, one housekeeper replied, “I don’t know how much bleach I put in the mop or spray bucket. Sometimes it’s already prefilled. If I don’t know how, I call my manager.”
Chicago Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
If you believe your spouse, parent or grandparent has suffered harm while residing at Mosaic of Uptown, contact Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers now. Allow our seasoned Chicago attorneys to file your claim for compensation against all those responsible for causing harm to your loved one. Our years of experience can ensure a successful financial resolution to make sure your family receives the financial recompense they deserve.
Schedule your free, no obligation comprehensive case review today by calling our Cook County elder abuse law offices at (888) 424-5757. We provide immediate legal representation without any upfront payment or fee.
Sources:
http://bit.do/RILnursing-Mosaic-of-Uptown
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6006134FAK06212016.PDF
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6006134FA04142016.PDF
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6006134FID01212016.PDF
