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Many Illinois nursing home residents suffer serious injuries every year from preventable accidents that could have been avoided had the nursing staff and employees taken appropriate measures to create a safe environment. Some accidents are caused by minimal supervision or a lack of appropriate training of the nursing staff in charge of providing every resident the highest level of care. Other accidents are the result of poor maintenance, broken equipment or failure to follow procedures and protocols to ensure that every resident remains safe. Unfortunately, the South Chicago Heights elder abuse attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC have handled many cases where residents suffered serious harm needlessly due to the negligent actions of caregivers.
Bria of Chicago Heights
Bria of Chicago Heights is an 112-certified bed Medicaid/Medicare-approved for-profit nursing facility providing services to residents of South Chicago Heights and Cook County, Illinois. The facility is located at:
120 W. 26th Street
South Chicago Heights, IL 60411
(708) 756-5200
In addition to providing rehabilitation and skilled nursing care, the facility also offers post-acute care, independent and assistant living options, short-term rehabilitation, wound care, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, hemodialysis, orthopedic rehabilitation, behavioral health options and cardiac care.
South Chicago Heights Nursing Home Resident Safety Concerns
To ensure that families are aware of the level of care each nursing home provides in the United States, both the federal government and the state of Illinois routinely update their nursing home database systems. The information reflects the complete history of all opened investigations, health violations, safety concerns and filed complaints at facilities nationwide. This information is uploaded to numerous websites including Medicare.gov.
Currently, Bria of Chicago Heights maintains an overall two out of five available star rating in the Medicare national star rating summary comparative analysis system as compared to all other facilities in the United States. This includes four out of five stars for quality measures and two out of five stars for both staffing issues and health inspections. Our South Chicago Heights nursing home neglect attorneys have found numerous deficiencies and safety concerns involving this facility that include:
- Failure to Provide Every Resident an Environment Free of Accident Hazards and Provide Adequate Supervision to Prevent Injury
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 06/09/2016, a state surveyor made a notation during an annual licensure and certification survey concerning the facility's failure to "maintain safe accident and supervision practices with medical equipment and smoking.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff at Bria of Chicago Heights directly affected one resident “reviewed for accidents and supervision.”
At 12:10 PM on 06/06/2016, a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) was “observed entering the room of [the resident while] holding insulin syringe with the needle exposed. When the investigator questioned if the needle should be exposed, [the LPN stated] ‘No, it should be covered.” The following day at 4:37 PM, during an interview with the facility’s Director of Nursing, the Director stated, ‘No, [the LPN] should not be walking into [the resident’s] room with gloves on and an exposed needle.’
“Continued observation during the tour of the facility on 06/06/2015 at 12:10 PM” the resident was observed with “a portable fan sitting on top of a nightstand unsecured near the entrance of [the resident’s] room.” Upon final observation during the tour, the investigator noted a “pervasive smoke smell in the washroom of [another resident] and visible black ashes in the washroom sink.” The Social Services Director presented documentation at 10:50 AM on 06/09/2016 that that resident was “identified as an unsafe smoker.”
- Failure to Provide Residents an Environment Free of the Spread of Infection
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 06/09/2016, the state investigator noted the facility’s failure “to maintain infection control practices with glove use… [involving a resident] reviewed for infection control during medication administration.” This failure involved the incident above when a Licensed Practical Nurse entered the resident’s room with an exposed needle on the syringe containing insulin. The Licensed Practical Nurse pulled “the curtain around [the resident] still with the same gloves on, and after closing the curtain, [the LPN] administered the [resident’s] insulin to the right lower abdominal quadrant without changing out of the dirty gloves and performing hand hygiene.
The state investigator noted that the deficient practice by the nursing staff at Bria of Chicago Heights involved a failure to follow the facility’s 10/15/2010 Hand Hygiene Policy that reads in part:
“Hand Hygiene is to be performed if contact is made with inanimate services and object.”
“Gloves are a onetime use, and once contaminated gloves are to be removed, hand hygiene should be completed.”
South Chicago Heights Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
If your loved one was harmed or died prematurely due to the negligence of employees at any Illinois nursing facility including Bria of Chicago Heights, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC can help. Our dedicated, experienced Chicago area nursing home abuse attorneys can handle your case for financial compensation to ensure your family receives the recompense they deserve.
Contact our South Chicago Heights elder abuse law firm at (888) 424-5757 today to schedule a free, no-obligation case evaluation to determine your legal options. No upfront fees are required because we accept all nursing home neglect and abuse cases through contingency fee agreements where we are only paid after we win your case at trial or negotiate an acceptable financial settlement on your behalf.
Source
http://briahs.com/location/chicago-heights/
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6007991FI06092016.PDF
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6007991FI06092016.PDF
