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Contamination in nursing facilities is a serious problem that can affect the health and well-being of every patient. Because of that, the nursing staff and housekeeping employees are required to follow specific procedures and protocols to minimize the potential spread of infections, contagious diseases, viruses, and bacteria. Unfortunately, not all nursing homes follow these protocols, which is often harmful to the resident. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have provided legal representation to Illinois nursing home residents who have suffered harm from a preventable infection while residing at skilled nursing homes like Helia Southbelt Healthcare.
Helia Southbelt Healthcare
This Four Fountains Center is a 156-certified-bed ‘for-profit’ Nursing Home providing cares and services to residents of Belleville and St. Clair County, Illinois. The Medicare/Medicaid-participating facility is located at:
101 South Belt West
Belleville, Il 62220
(618) 277-7700
As a part of the Helia Healthcare System, Four Fountains Helia Southbelt Healthcare Center provides rehabilitation services, skilled nursing care and long-term care along with neuromuscular disorder care, cardiac care, amputation care, fracture care, IV therapy care, pain management, enteral nutrition, nutritional support, advanced wound care, tracheostomy care and post-operative wound care.
Belleville Nursing Home Resident Safety Concerns
The state of Illinois and the federal government nursing home regulatory agencies regularly update the national nursing facility database system. The Medicare.gov information contains a historical list of filed complaints, opened investigations, health violations and safety concerns of every facility in the United States.
Currently, Helia Southbelt Healthcare maintains an overall two out of five available star rating in the nationwide comparison analysis Medicare rating summary system. This includes five out of five stars for quality measures and one out of five stars for health inspections. The St. Clair County nursing home neglect attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers have located safety concerns, violations and deficiencies at this nursing facility that include:
- Failure to Provide Proper Indwelling Catheter Cares and Services
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 07/05/2016, a complaint investigation against the facility was opened for its failure to "provide complete catheter care [and a failure to] provide an indication for the continued use of the indwelling catheter.”
The deficient practice was first noted in the state investigator’s findings after a review of a resident’s June 2016 Physician Order Sheet (POS) documenting that the resident “was on contact isolation for Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL) of the urine and has a suprapubic catheter.”
An observation was made of a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) providing a dressing change in catheter care to the resident’s suprapubic catheter in the midafternoon of 06/29/2016. The LPN “washed hands and put on gloves and took off the old dressing on [the resident’s] suprapubic catheter and discarded [...and] took off her gloves and put on new gloves without prior hand hygiene, cleanse the stoma and the juncture of the tubing from the insertion site down to the catheter tubing with gauze wet with normal saline solution.”
An interview with the Director of Nursing was conducted by the state investigator in the late afternoon of the same day who stated that “the nurse should cleanse the suprapubic catheter with soap and water.” The investigator noted that the actions by the nursing staff failed to follow the facility’s July 2014 Policy on Suprapubic Catheter Care that reads in part:
“It is the policy of the facility that catheter care is provided by a licensed nurse or Certified Nurse’s Aide, on each shift or as ordered, for a resident with a suprapubic catheter.… Clean area wound catheter well with soap and warm water.”
- Failure to Take Appropriate Measures to Prevent the Spread of Infection throughout the Facility
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated 07/05/2016, a complaint investigation was opened against the facility for its failure to "follow contact precautions by not wearing proper personal protective equipment when cleaning an isolation room for [highly contagious] Clostridium difficile (C. diff), [and a failure to] perform proper hand washing/hand hygiene to prevent the spread of infection.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff affected five residents.
The incident involved a resident who was “totally dependent on staff for toilet use, dressing and personal hygiene.” On the morning of 06/28/2016, the housekeeping staff went inside the contact isolation resident’s “room wearing gloves and holding a broom and dustpan, and swept the floor.” When finished, the housekeeper placed the dustpan and broom back in the housekeeping cart, mopped the floor and left the resident’s room without wearing any gown or shoe protectors, only gloves.
Belleville Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
If you suspect your loved one has suffered harm through abuse, neglect or mistreatment while a patient at Helia Southbelt Healthcare – Four Fountains, call the Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers law offices. Our reputable Belleville qualified attorneys can successfully resolve your abuse, neglect or mistreatment victim case on your behalf against Illinois nursing facility that caused your loved one harm.
We urge you to contact our St. Clair County elder abuse law office at (888) 424-5757. Schedule your appointment today to speak with one of our experienced lawyers for your free comprehensive case review. We accept every nursing home abuse/neglect claim for compensation through contingency fee arrangements. This means our legal fees are paid only after we have negotiated an out of court settlement on your behalf or have successfully resolved your case in a court of law.
Sources:
http://bit.do/RILnursing-Helia-Southbelt-Healthcare-Four-Fountains
http://www.idph.state.il.us/ltc/docs/SurveyResult/6003255FA07052016.PDF
