With well over one million Americans living in nursing homes across the United States, mistreatment, neglect, and abuse have become a consistently growing health concern. The Illinois Nursing Home Law Center attorneys have recovered millions in monetary compensation for our clients who were harmed by mistreatment in nursing facilities and can assist your family too.
If your loved one was injured while residing in a Cook County nursing home, we encourage you to contact our offices now. Our experienced nursing home negligence attorneys handle all forms of abuse and mistreatment injury cases to hold those responsible for causing the harm legally and financially accountable. Let us begin working on your case today.
This long-term care (LTC) home is a "for profit" 197-certified bed center providing services to residents of Dolton and Cook County, Illinois. The Medicare/Medicaid-participating facility is located at:
1635 East 154Th Street
Dolton, Illinois, 60419
(708) 841-9550
It is the legal responsibility of state and federal investigators to hold nursing homes accountable if they have violated rules and regulations that harmed or could have harmed a resident. These penalties include citations, monetary fines and the denial of payment for Medicare services.
Within the last three years, Countryside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has received twelve formally filed complaints and self-reported serious issues that all resulted in citations. Additional information about fines and penalties can be found on the Illinois Department of Public Health Nursing Home Reporting Website concerning this nursing facility.
Families can review publically available data on every long-term and intermediate care facility in Illinois by visiting numerous government databases including the Medicare.gov website and the IL Department of Public Health website. This data is a valuable tool to use when choosing the best location to place a loved one who needs the highest level of services and care in a safe environment.
According to Medicare, this facility maintains an overall rating of one out of five stars, including two out of five stars concerning health inspections, one out of five stars for staffing issues and four out of five stars for quality measures. The Cook County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have found serious deficiencies and safety concerns at Countryside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center that include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated September 21, 2016, the state surveyors said that the nursing home had failed to “thoroughly investigate and rule out the possibility of the sexual assault [involving] a female resident and file their policy for notification to local law enforcement after an alleged physical abuse/sexual assault.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff and administration involved two residents “reviewed for abuse.”
The sexual assault incident involved a female patient with dementia whose MDS (Minimum Data Set) Assessment revealed needs “one person physical assist for dressing.” The investigators reviewed the Initial Incident Report “that was faxed to the Illinois Department of Public Health on September 7, 2016.”
The report shows that one resident became aggressive toward another resident after the second resident wandered into the first resident’s room. The facility’s final report sent to the Illinois Department of Public Health on September 9, 2016, reads that the patient “was discharged from the hospital for psychiatric evaluation.” That resident’s “Care Plan was updated for aggressive behavior.”
The assaulting resident “sustained a scratch to her chest. First-aid was applied.” The injured resident “will continue to be monitored for safety and wandering behavior.”
The investigative paperwork shows that during interviews a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) said “I was the first person to see [the injured resident] after they came out of the male resident’s room on September 7, 2016. I saw [the abused resident] without pants and [she] did not have any underwear on either.” The CNA said that the male resident “told me that [the female resident’s] pants were in his room.”
The CNA said that the abused resident “does not take her own pants off. We take them off.” The CNA stated she heard the male resident say, “I raped [her] also, one of the nurse’s said to take [the assaulted female resident] to the shower and give her shower and have [the male resident] take a shower right away.”
The CNA said, “I thought something needed to be done; maybe they should not have had a shower.” The female resident “had a shower the day before. I did not understand it. This could have been my grandmother.”
The facility Clinical Supervisor/Social Service Worker said on September 14, 2016, that “he interviewed [the male resident] after the incident on September 7, 2016.” The Clinical Supervisor said the male resident “told him after the incident [on that day] that he wanted to have sex with [the female resident].”
The resident told the supervisor the female resident “left his room” and that there had been an altercation when the male resident “was trying to keep [the female resident] from leaving his room.” The Supervisor said that “he saw or redness on [the female resident’s] neck.”
The surveyors interviewed a Licensed Practical Nurse at noon on September 15, 2016, who said, “she did not tell any staff member to give [the female resident] a shower.” The LPN said that “she assessed [the female resident] and observed two scratch marks on her chest [saying that “she then gave that information to [the Director of Nursing].”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated September 19, 2018, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to “follow their policy by performing a pivot transfer by not using a gait belt and failing to perform a pivot transfer in a safe manner.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved one resident “reviewed for safe transfers.”
The surveyors conducted an initial tour of the facility on September 17, 2018. The team observed a resident “in his room sitting on his bed, while [a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)] was preparing to place [him] into his wheelchair.” The CNA placed the patient’s “arms on her shoulders, lifted [the resident] up by the top of his trousers, and pivoted to place [the resident] into his wheelchair.”
As the CNA “attempted to place [the resident] into his wheelchair, the wheelchair rolled backward.” The CNA struggled to “seat the resident and had to carry the resident forward, with difficulty, to place him into the chair. The wheelchair was blocked from rolling any further because it rolled into the dresser.”
At that point, the CNA “was unable to place [the resident] into the wheelchair.” The surveyors asked the CNA “why did she not use the gait belt?” The CNA responded, “that it was better and easier for the resident because the chair does not always work.”
The survey team reviewed the facility’s policy titled: Gait Belt that reads in part: “Gait belts should always be used by the staff in emulating or transferring a resident with an unsteady gait.”
The investigators reviewed the resident’s Care Plan Goal dated July 25, 2018 that says that the “resident will safely transfer to and from a surface to surface daily six to seven days a week with staff extensive assist.” A review of the resident’s Restorative Nursing Skills Analysis indicates that the patient “requires extensive assistance for transfers.” The document also says that the patient “requires a two-person assist for transfers.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated September 19, 2018, a state surveyor noted the nursing home's failure to “establish and document an infection control system for preventing, identifying, reporting, investigating, and controlling infections and communicable diseases.” This control system is to protect “residents, staff, volunteers, visitors and other individuals providing services under a contractual arrangement based upon the facility assessment.”
The investigative team stated that “these failures have the potential to affect all seventy-one residents currently living in the facility.” As a part of the investigation, the surveyors interviewed the Infection Control Nurse just after noon on September 19, 2018. The Infection Control Nurse stated “I did not know that I was supposed to document the infections in that way. I will review everything to see what I need to do.”
The surveyors reviewed the Infection Controls Records documented by the Infection Control Nurse that were identified as “the only infection control documentation according to the [Infection Control Nurse]. Both reports are incomplete and do not document a system of surveillance designed to prevent the spread of infectious diseases/infections.”
The investigative team then reviewed the unsigned Quality Assurance Goal Setting Worksheet for Infection Control that “does not document any interventions or plans for the problem of urinary tract infection.” The Infection Control Nurse “was asked if there were any other reports related to infection control for the facility.” The nurse replied, “I do not have anything else to show.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated September 19, 2018, the state survey team noted that the nursing facility had “failed to document administration, offering/refusal, education of residents and families for annual influenza and pneumococcal immunizations for the [annual] influenza/pneumonia season.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved four residents “reviewed for immunizations.”
The state investigative team interviewed the facility Infection Control Nurse just after noon on September 19, 2018, who said, “I had issues with some insurance companies regarding approval for immunizations for residents who were not over 65 and did not have specific comorbidities.” The nurse said that “she was unable to remember which specific insurance companies denied approval for annual immunizations and were unable to remember what comorbidity conditions were specified.”
The Infection Control Nurse provided informed consent documentation for vaccinations and Preventative Health Care Progress Notes for the year. For two residents, the influenza vaccination was given but “there was no record for pneumococcal immunizations.” For another resident, there “was no records of influenza or pneumococcal immunizations given in the facility,” or any refusal to accept the vaccination. One resident’s records indicate that the influenza vaccination was refused, but there was “no record for pneumococcal immunizations” given or refused.
The state surveyors reviewed the facility’s policies titled: Influenza Vaccine and Pneumococcal Vaccine that read in part:
Within a certain time-frame, “the influenza vaccine shall be offered to residents. For those who received the vaccine, the data vaccination will be documented in the medical record.”
“All residents will be offered the pneumococcal vaccine to aid in preventing pneumococcal infections. Pneumococcal vaccinations will be administered to residents (unless medically contraindicated, already given or refused) per our facility’s physician approved pneumococcal vaccination protocol.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated January 18, 2018, the state survey team noted that the nursing facility had failed to “maintain dental services and communication of treatment plan for [one resident] reviewed for dental services.”
Part of the investigation found that one resident had “dental appointments scheduled on December 5, 2017, December 27, 2017, and January 5, 2018.” However, the facility was “unable to present communication of [the resident’s] dental exam results.” A Registered Nurse (RN) documented on December 8, 2017, that the resident “is going out [from the nursing home] for tooth extraction.”
A Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) documented that the resident “is returning from a doctor’s appointment with no pain or behavior, and an ‘as needed’ pain medication given due to the tooth extraction per this note.”
The investigators interviewed the facility’s Assistant Director of Nursing on January 17, 2018, who said, “I do not have any documentation of dental visits on December 5, 2017, [or the visit] on December 8, 2018, dental appointment.” The resident’s “History Report submitted on December 27, 2017” shows a dental appointment was “canceled based on insurance.” The patient’s January 5, 2018, dental appointment was “canceled based on insurance.”
The facility “was unable to present documentation from the dentist regarding [the resident’s] treatment plan for the survey until multiple requests” were made. The surveyors reviewed the facility’s policy that reads in part:
“It is the policy at the facility at each resident will be provided assistance in obtaining routine and emergency dental care.”
“It is further the policy that an agreement will be maintained with the consulting dentist.”
“Facility policy standard #2 is as follows: An agreement will be signed for consulting dental services. The consulting dentist will provide consultation to the facility and recommend policies in regard to dental services and oral hygiene.”
Was your loved one injured or did they die prematurely while living at Countryside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center? If so, call the Illinois nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 now for legal help. Our network of attorneys fights aggressively on behalf of Cook County victims of mistreatment living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Dolton. Contact us now to schedule a free case review to discuss how to obtain justice and resolve a financial compensation claim.
Our nursing home attorneys have successfully resolved many financial compensation claims for victims of mistreatment in nursing homes. We accept every nursing home neglect case, wrongful death lawsuit, personal injury claim for compensation through a contingency fee agreement. This arrangement postpones making upfront payments for our legal services until after we have successfully resolved your compensation claim through a negotiated settlement or jury trial award.
We offer each client a “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee, meaning all fees are waived if we cannot obtain compensation to recover your damages. Let our team begin working on your case today to ensure you receive adequate compensation. All information you share with our law offices will remain confidential.
Attorney Jonathan Rosenfeld
Licensed in Illinois
Chicago Nursing Home Injury Lawyer Nursing Home Law Center LLC Home