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Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses and Certified Nursing Aides providing cares and services at every Illinois nursing home are required to follow procedures and protocols to eliminate the spread of infection throughout the facility. Unfortunately, not all nursing staff receives appropriate training, monitoring, and supervision to ensure that patients are protected from exposure to viruses, bacteria, contaminants and infections. Substandard care at nursing homes typically results in a serious decline of the resident’s health, especially those who develop life-threatening infections caused by cross-contamination. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers provide legal representation to injured, neglected and abused residents of Illinois skilled nursing homes like Helia Healthcare of Benton.
Helia Healthcare of Benton
This facility is a ‘for profit’ 83-certified-bed Medicaid/Medicare-accepted Nursing Home providing cares and services to residents of Benton and Franklin County, Illinois. The Center is located at:
1310 Mark Franklin Louis Street
Benton, Il 62812
(618) 439-3500
As a part of the Helia Health Care System, Helia Healthcare of Benton provides skilled nursing care, restorative and rehabilitation services including physical therapy, speech therapy, recreational therapy and occupational therapy along with long-term care and hospice services.
Benton Nursing Home Resident Safety Concerns
To ensure the families are fully informed of the provided care that every community nursing home offers, the federal government and state of Illinois routinely update their completed list of all opened investigations, safety concerns, filed complaints and health violations of Homes nationwide. This information can be used to make an informed decision before placing a loved one in a Home.
Currently, Helia Healthcare of Benton maintains an overall one out of five available star rating in the Medicare summary system compared to all other facilities in the United States. 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 Franklin County nursing home neglect attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have found serious safety concerns, violations and deficiencies at this nursing facility that include:
- Failure to Provide a Level of Care That Protects Residents from the Spread of Infection
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 06/23/2016, a notation was made by a state surveyor during an annual licensure and certification survey involving the facility's failure to "prevent cross-contamination during resident care [and a failure to] properly disinfect blood glucose monitors. This failure has the potential to affect all 75 residents living in the facility.”
One deficient practice was noted in the state investigator’s findings after an observation was made of the Certified Nursing Aide (CNA) providing incontinence care to a resident. The CNA assisted the resident “to the bathroom and proceeded to pull down her pants and incontinence brief with gloved hands.” The CNA was “observed to place several washcloths in the shared bathroom sink to moisten them. After washing the cloths, [the CNA] draped the washcloths over the side of the sink [...and] proceeded to cleanse bowel from [the resident’s] peri-rectal area [before placing] a new incontinence brief on [the resident] and pulled up her pants with the same contaminated gloved hands.”
As a part of the observation, it was noted that while the CNA was “still wearing these gloves, [they] placed a gait belt around [the resident] and assisted her to the wheelchair [during which time the CNA touched the resident’s] wheelchair several times with the same [contaminated] gloves on.”
An observation was made of a Registered Nurse at 11:45 AM on 06/21/2016 “performing a blood glucose test on [a resident and placed] a paper towel on the resident’s over-the-bedside table and then placed the meter on top of it. After performing the test [the Registered Nurse] picked up the paper towel and carried it to the medication cart and placed it on its top without using a barrier.”
The state investigator observed the Registered Nurse “utilizing the same technique numerous times between 11:55 AM and 12:05 PM that same day on two different residents.” The investigator interviewed the facility’s Director of Nurses at 4:00 PM on 06/22/2016 who stated that “the paper towel barrier should not be placed back on top of the medication cart after use [...and] the CNAs should not place washcloths in the sink at any time before or after providing resident care.” The Director of Nurses said that that Certified Nursing Assistant provides care for other residents throughout the facility.
Benton Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
If you suspect your loved one is being abused, neglected or mistreated while residing as a patient at Helia Healthcare of Benton, call the Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers law offices now. Our Benton team of dedicated, knowledgeable attorneys provide legal representation in victim cases. Our lawyers can file and resolve your case for financial compensation against every individual and/or entity that caused your loved one’s harm.
To ensure your case for compensation is handled in accordance with Illinois tort laws, we encourage you to contact our Franklin County elder abuse law offices by calling (888) 424-5757 today to schedule your free no-obligation comprehensive case evaluation. No upfront fees are necessary because our law firm accepts every personal injury case, wrongful death lawsuit, and nursing home abuse/neglect claim for compensation through a contingency fee agreement. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Sources:
http://www.heliahealthcare.com/benton/
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6016091FIK06232016.PDF
