Many families have no other choice than to place a loved one in a nursing facility to ensure they receive the best health care, medical treatment, and hygiene assistance. Unfortunately, abuse and neglect are serious problems that occur at many Illinois nursing homes.
Was your loved one injured, harmed or mistreated while living in a Madison County nursing home? If so, contact the Illinois Nursing Home Law Center attorneys for immediate legal intervention. Our team of Chicago nursing home neglect lawyers has successfully resolved many cases just like yours. Let us begin working on your case now to ensure that your rights are protected and you receive adequate financial compensation for your damages.
This Medicare/Medicaid-participating long-term care (LTC) center is a "for profit" 120-certified bed home providing cares to residents of Edwardsville and Madison County, Illinois. The facility is located at:
401 St Mary Drive
Edwardsville, Illinois, 62025
(618) 692-1330
In addition to providing 24/7 skilled nursing care, Edwardsville Nursing and Rehab Center also offers services that include:
Illinois and federal agencies have the legal responsibility of monitoring every nursing home and imposing monetary fines or denying reimbursement payments through Medicare if investigators identify serious violations and deficiencies. These penalties are typically imposed when the violation is severe and harmed or could have harmed a resident.
Within the last three years, investigators impose one monetary fine against Edwardsville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for $5558 on September 21, 2016. Also, Medicare denied payment for services rendered on March 29, 2018, due to substandard care. The facility received seventeen formally filed complaints and self-reported three 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.
To ensure families are fully informed of the services that every long-term care facility offers in their community, Illinois routinely updates their comprehensive list of filed complaints, health violations, opened investigations, safety concerns, incident inquiries, and dangerous hazards of homes statewide. The information is then posted online at Medicare.gov and the Illinois Department of Public Health website. This data can be used to make an informed decision before placing a loved one in a private or government-run facility.
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 one out of five stars for quality measures. The Madison County neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center have found serious deficiencies and safety concerns at Edwardsville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center that include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 4, 2018, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to “follow physician’s orders and provide pressure relief to treat pressure ulcers.” The deficient practice by the nursing staff involved one cognitively intact resident “reviewed for pressure ulcer prevention/treatment.” A review of the resident’s MDS (Minimum Data Set) show the patient “requires extensive assistance for staff for activities of daily living (ADLs).”
The resident’s April 4, 2018, Care Plan shows “I need assistance with ADLs related to [my diagnosis and medical conditions including] arthritis, obesity, pain and lack of motivation.” However, the resident’s Care Plan facility failed to identify the patient’s “risk factors for pressure ulcers.”
A review of the resident’s physician’s orders dated August 25, 2017 documents “heel protectors on both feet when in bed to offload pressure. Every shift for wound healing/preventative.” A review of the resident’s Braden scale report shows that the patient “is at risk for pressure ulcers with the score of 15.”
A review of the resident’s April 17, 2018, at 10:30 AM Nurse’s Notes documents the patient’s “right ankle pressure sore was healed.” However, three days later at 2:28 PM on April 20, 2018, the Nurse’s Notes documents “right outer ankle wound reopened.”
The investigators observed the resident on the morning of April 24, 2018 while “lying in bed with a bandage to the right lateral ankle. She was wearing no heel protectors, or Ace Wrap noted to the right ankle. Her right foot was noted to be turned out.”
The investigators interviewed a Registered Nurse (RN)/Wound Nurse providing the resident care on April 27, 2018. The RN said “I am not here every day and I would expect staff to place an Ace wrap, and heel protectors on [the patient] as the doctor ordered. I get aggravated because I get the wounds healed and then when I come back to the facility, another staff member will approach me and state ‘Guess what? The wound has reopened. I get so frustrated.’ I used to be here every day, and now I am not. This has been an ongoing thing, and I have spoken to management about it.”
The investigators reviewed the facility’s policy on bedsores that reads in part:
“The nursing staff and attending physician will assess and document individual significant risk factors for developing pressure sores; for example, immobility, recent weight loss, and a history of pressure ulcers. Once the assessment is conducted and risk factors are identified and characterized, a resident-centered Care Plan will be created to address the modifiable risks for pressure ulcer/injuries.
Review the resident’s Care Plan and identify the risk factors as well as the interventions designed to reduce or eliminate those considered modifiable.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 4, 2018, the state investigative team documented that the facility had failed to “provide supervision, reassess, monitor effectiveness of interventions and revise interventions as needed to prevent falls for one resident reviewed for falls.” The surveyor said that “this failure resulted in [a resident] falling multiple times and sustaining a left clavicle fracture, multiple hematomas to the head and multiple bruises over the body and skin tears.”
The investigation involved a severely cognitively impaired female resident who “required supervision while walking in the corridor and required the extensive assist of at least one staff is eating, dressing, toilet use of personal hygiene.
The resident’s Care Plan dated April 15, 2018 documents the patient “was identified as being at risk for falls related to wandering, impaired safety awareness, incontinence, [medications], and falls. It documents [that the resident] has a shuffling, left side leaning gait especially when tired. There were multiple interventions, in part as, one-on-one for one hour, neuro-checks, direct supervision and to assist to supervise the area and give a busy box [to the patient] for activity.”
Surveyors observed the resident on the morning of April 24, 2018 while “in bed on her back fidgeting with the blankets. Upon entering [the patient’s] room and greeting her, [the resident] did not respond or answer/respond to any questions.” At noon the same day, the resident “was observed sitting in a regular chair at the assisted table in the dining room waiting on lunch service.”
At that time, the patient “was served the lunch meal at 12:30 PM.” By 1:30 PM, the resident “was observed wandering ambulatory up and down hallways unassisted by staff. There was no staff specifically supervising [the patient, who] had a blank stare with a shaking jaw and would drool at times.”
The following morning of April 24, 2018, the resident was observed: “ambulating up and down the hall.” The patient “occasionally will go into other residents’ rooms [and] was observed with her bottom lip/jaw shaking and drooling. At times the staff would wipe her chin.” At 1:20 PM that day, the resident “was observed ambulating up and down C Hall unassisted [while] ambulating with head down looking at the floor.”
Ten minutes later, the resident “was observed ambulating down the hall and wandered into Room D-10, stood with a blank stare at the resident who was in bed asleep and then walked out. There was no staff in the hallway at this time supervising [the resident].” Additional observations were made of the resident while wandering unsupervised and not giving any activities performed.”
The investigators reviewed the Nurse’s Notes from June 1, 2017, through May 2, 2018, that documents that the resident had twenty-six falls “with varying injuries, including skin tears, bruises and a fracture of the left clavicle.”
The resident’s Nurse’s Notes dated June 9, 2017, documented that the resident was found “lying on the floor in the bedroom. The note documented the resident was put in sight of nursing staff [who] would continue to monitor.” The resident’s August 14, 2017, new Nurse’s Notes documented of the patient “had fallen and the staff had heard her head hit the floor. It documented a hematoma to the left side of the head.”
A Nurses’ Note documented 3 hours and 21 minutes later show that the patient “fell resulting in a 2-inch skin tear to the right arm. Both of these Nurse’s Notes noted [the resident] would be placed on thirty minutes visuals for the next three days.” However, that same afternoon of 4:59 PM, the Nurse’s Notes documented that the resident “tripped over another resident’s wheelchair and slid down the door and hit her right arm. The note documented she sustained a 2-inch skin tear to her right arm. The note documented a new order to monitor the resident.”
On October 13, 2017, the resident’s Nurse’s Notes that showed that the patient “fell, hitting [her] head and causing a left-sided hematoma to the head. The note documented after the incident she was placed on 1:1 with the nurse.” The resident’s Care Plan with an addition made on October 13, 2017, revealed it the resident “tripped over a chair at the nurse’s station.”
The patient sustained a left side hematoma that was now resolved. The resident’s “Care Plan intervention dated October 16, 2017, documents [to use a] stationary easy chair.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated August 14, 2018, a state investigator noted the nursing home's failure to “establish a system of accurate and ongoing tracking of potentially communicable infections to prevent potential transmission.” This failure “has the potential to affect all seventy-nine residents in the facility.”
The investigators reviewed the resident’s Progress Notes dated July 12, 2017, that shows that the resident “had a rash noted to [their] upper chest, abdomen, and upper thighs. The note documented the rash had flat dark red areas, no papules noted. The note documented [the resident] had several scattered scratches” likely related “from itching.” The nursing staff notified the Medical Director/Physician and followed orders to use medicated cream to control the rash and “leave overnight and wash up in the morning.”
A review of the resident’s Weekly Skin Assessment reveals that the resident “had no rash.” However, the resident’s Wound Care Report dated July 26, 2018, revealed a nursing report that the 83-year-old resident “was noted on July 18, 2018 “to have an abnormal rash. Unknown origin. Nursing reports that [the resident] had been treated [with a specialized medication] twice. The report documented several macules noted to the abdomen, scratches noted, scabbed areas noted, no exudate noted.”
A review of a resident’s Nurse’s Note dated August 1, 2018, revealed that a Wound Management Company “saw the resident. New orders were written for the rash. The resident will be in contact isolation.” The patient’s Physician order summary sheet showed that the resident was to receive an oral medication to treat parasites given on everyday shift, every seven days to treat the rash itching/discomfort.”
The investigators interviewed the facility Director of Nursing who said on August 1, 2018, that the resident “was placed in isolation at the facility and Wound Nurse were reviewing CDC guidelines for scabies.”
The surveyor team reviewed the facility’s Infection Control Log that contains specific identifications and categories including the name of the resident, the onset date, infection-related diagnoses, the site, organism, and the date when isolation was implemented. However, the resident “was not on this log although [the patient] was placed on contact isolation on August 1, 2018.”
Do you suspect caregivers, visitors, employees or other residents victimized your loved one while living at Edwardsville Nursing and Rehabilitation Center? If so, call the Illinois nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 today. Our network of attorneys fights aggressively on behalf of Madison County victims of mistreatment living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Edwardsville. Contact us now to schedule a free case review to discuss how to obtain justice and resolve a financial compensation claim.
Our team of skilled senior resident injury attorneys can assist your family and successfully resolve your case for financial recompense against all parties including the facility, doctors, nurses, and staff members that caused your loved one harm. Our attorneys accept every case concerning wrongful death, personal injury and nursing home abuse through a contingency fee arrangement. This agreement postpones your need to make a payment for our legal services until after your case is successfully resolved through a negotiated out of court settlement or jury trial award.
We provide every client a “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee, meaning you will owe us nothing if we cannot obtain compensation on your behalf. Let our attorneys begin working on your behalf today to ensure your family receives adequate compensation from those who caused your harm. 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