Nursing homes in the Metro-East area are among the most dangerous facilities in the state for elderly residents. Many of these homes have significant rates of patient infection, assault, and other forms of elder abuse. While the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has issued numerous citations to nursing homes that have violated their duty of care to residents, many of these homes are still in operation.
Nursing Home Ratings in St. Clair County
Nursing Home Compare was created by the Centers for Medicare (CMS) to establish a baseline for patients and their families to review when considering nursing home options. Only 5% of nursing homes in St. Clair County received ratings from CMS that were well above normal standards of care. 11.1% received ratings that were above average and 11.1% received ratings that were average.
Alarmingly, 50% received ratings that were below normal standards of care, and 22.2% received ratings that were significantly lower. In all, 72.2% of nursing homes in the county are not meeting the needs of care and comfort their patients deserve. Patients and their families who are subjected to substandard care can pursue claims with the assistance of a nursing home lawyer who can help guide them through the process.
Violations in Metro-East
State and federal agencies have issued citations for a myriad of violations in Metro-East nursing homes. Data from the IDPH shows that between 2015-2017, six patients died due to improper care. A further two residents ended up in permanent comas because of errors committed by nursing home staff.
CMS violations are categorized by severity. “A” violations are considered minor and present minimal danger to residents. Conversely, “L” violations are severe and pose an immediate threat to health or safety of a considerable number of residents. Since 2014, 28 “L” violations were issued in Illinois; of these, 8 were issued to facilities located in Metro-East.
In Belleville, five nursing homes have received a combined 260 federal violations with an average of 17.3 violations per inspection. This is more than twice the average number of violations uncovered during nursing home inspections in Illinois. Data gathered by CMS shows that there are multiple nursing homes in Metro-East that have well-established patterns of abuse and neglect that have yet to be corrected. These patterns put the physical, mental, emotional, and financial safety of residents in jeopardy.
