Elder Law

Illinois Nursing Home Violation: Collinsville Rehabilitation & Health Care Center

By Levin & Perconti

The Collinsville Rehabilitation & Health Care Center, afacility in Southern Illinois near St. Louis, recently received several Type ?A? Violations from the Illinois Department of Public Health and fined $20,000. The violations resulted from mismanaged situation resulting in one resident sexually abusing another.

One resident at the facility was allowed to attempt sexual assault on another resident on two separate occasions. The abusive resident went up to the victim without her notice while she was leaving a bathroom and pulled up her skirt. The victim immediately told staff members about the situation, but they did nothing. Later, the same resident went back into the victim?s room, held her to her bed, told her to be quiet, and attempted to remove her garments. Luckily, the victim?s screams ultimately scared the man away, and he fled the room.

Records indicated that the man had a history of drug and alcohol abuse, abusive conduct, and mental illnesses. He was admitted to the facility from the U.S. Medical Center for federal prisoners in Springfield, Missouri. The Collinsville facility had failed to perform even a basic background check on the individual before admitting him.

Illinois nursing home investigators declared that Collinsville Center staff had been negligent in failing to protect the abused resident from her attacker and not properly screening and dealing with the abusive resident.

Negligent nursing homes are dangerous living environment for seniors, because staff members do not adequately protect vulnerable residents from both internal and external threats. Those threats come in both physical abuse and negligent emergency care. In either care, victims and their families deserve compensation for the losses they suffer.

Our Chicago nursing home lawyers at Levin & Perconti have experience fighting for victims of negligent nursing home care. Be sure to contact them or any similar attorney if you know of violations similar to the one at Collinsville Community Center.

The Illinois Department of Health produces quarterly reports on nursing home violators. To access the IDPH report on this violation, please click the link.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on July 25, 2010 (boomark / email).