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The spread of infection in any nursing facility could place the health and well-being of every resident in immediate jeopardy. Because of that, federal and state nursing home regulatory agencies have developed strict guidelines on cleaning protocols that must be followed by the nursing staff and employees at every facility nationwide. Sadly, the Chicago elder abuse attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC have handled many nursing home claims for compensation for victims who have suffered serious harm to their overall health or have died prematurely due to the spread of a preventable infection.
Community First Medical Center
Community First Medical Center is a 66-certified bed Medicare-participating nonprofit church-related hospital-associated facility providing nursing services to residents of Chicago and Cook County. The Center is located at:
5645 W. Addison St.
Chicago, Illinois 60634
(773) 282-7000
Services provided at Community First Medical Center include physical, occupational, and speech therapies along with rehabilitation for lymphedema management and balance treatment.
Chicago Nursing Home Resident Safety Concerns
In an effort to provide the latest information on nursing facilities in the United States, the federal government, and state of Illinois routinely update their nursing home databases. The information reflects currently opened investigations, filed complaints, safety concerns and health violations with the results published on numerous websites including Medicare.gov.
Currently, Community First Medical Center maintains an overall five out of five available star rating compared to all other nursing homes nationwide. This includes five out of five stars for staffing issues, and four out of five stars for both health inspections and quality measures.” However, our Chicago nursing home neglect attorneys have found serious deficiencies and safety concerns involving this facility that includes:
- Failure to Develop, Implement, and Enforce Programs and Investigates, Controls and Keeps Infection from Spreading
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 02/18/2016, the state investigator noted the facility’s failure “to properly sanitize blood glucose monitoring equipment according to their policy while performing blood glucose testing on [a resident].” The investigator noted that “this failure has the potential to affect all 17 residents in the facility receiving blood glucose monitoring.”
The deficient practice by the nursing staff at Community First Medical Center was first documented at 11:21 AM on 02/16/2016 upon observation of a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) performing blood glucose testing on a resident. At 11:26 AM, the CNA “clean the top surface only of the used blood glucose monitoring machine with an alcohol prep pad for less than five seconds. At 11:28 AM, [the CNA] put the blood glucose monitoring machine in the docking station and stated in part that the blood glucose results needed to be uploaded [...and] stated in part that she had to take [the resident] off the unit to an appointment.”
Within minutes, the CNA returned to the unit to retrieve “the same used blood glucose monitoring machine from the docking station” and three minutes later “put the blood glucose monitoring machine in a clear plastic bag and went into [another’s] room and performed blood glucose testing.” That resident “is in contact isolation.” By 11:40 AM, the Certified Nursing Assistant “remove the blood glucose monitoring machine from the clear plastic bag and left [the room of the resident in isolation] without performing hand hygiene or cleaning the blood glucose monitoring machine.”
The investigator noted that the actions of the nursing staff failed to follow the facility policy is June 2015 (revision date) policy titled Cleaning in Patient Care Areas Policy, concerning the cleaning of care equipment, reads in part:
“Clean the following with germicidal wipes… Monitoring machines… Accucheck [blood glucose monitors] between patient use.”
“Use the adequate number of wipes given the size of the surface to be clean”
“Follow contact times (amount of time surface needs to remain wet to kill organisms) on the containers.”
In a separate statement of deficiencies dated 05/03/2013, the state investigator noted the facility’s failure to “ensure housekeeping sanitizes equipment used to clean toilets is properly sanitized prior to the next use.” The investigator noted that the deficient practice could pose a health problem that affects “all 33 residents in the facility.”
This failure was first noted at 11:30 AM on 05/02/2015 when a housekeeper “demonstrated sanitation of an isolation room.” Upon observation on that date, the housekeeper “demonstrated the cleaning of the toilet with a brush [...and then] took the brush, rinsed it off the water and placed it in a dry cup holder.” In an interview with the housekeeping manager, it was noted that the correct procedure for using a toilet brush “should always be rinsed with bleach before the next use” as not to spread contamination.
Chicago Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
If you suspect your loved one has suffered injuries or died prematurely due to a preventable infection acquired while residing at any nursing facility in Illinois, including Community First Medical Center, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC can help. Our Cook County elder abuse attorneys can provide numerous legal options on how to obtain the financial compensation you and your family deserve for your damages.
To ensure that your financial recompense case is successfully resolved, we encourage you to contact our Chicago Illinois nursing home abuse law firm at (888) 424-5757 today to schedule a no obligation, free case evaluation. Because we accept all personal injury cases on contingency, no upfront fee is necessary.
http://www.cfmedicalcenter.com/
