Countryside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center Ratings and Violations
A nursing home should be a place of safety, access to medical services, and social opportunities for aging adults. These institutions can help seniors maintain a decent quality of life, even as their physical needs increase. However, abuse and neglect are rampant in the nursing home system across the United States, including Illinois. At Countryside Nursing and Rehab Center in Dolton, IL, a long history of deficiencies, violations, and staff neglect has led to some residents experiencing abuse or neglect.
At the Nursing Home Law Center, we strive to fight back against this cycle of mistreatment. Our caring nursing home abuse attorneys have worked with numerous survivors of resident abuse and neglect to hold the at-fault parties accountable. Our team will stand by your side throughout the claims process and give you a better chance of earning fair compensation for legal damages.
If you have suffered as a nursing home resident at Countryside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a lawsuit can provide a sense of financial security and justice. First, let’s look at why this nursing home has built a poor reputation for its care and social services.
Countryside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center: Facility Profile
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is a federal agency responsible for overseeing nursing homes and other health care programs nationwide. One of CMS’s duties is to provide quality ratings, violations, logistical details, inspection reports, and other data for each of these facilities. Consumers can then use this information to choose the best options for their needs.
Let’s begin by looking at the latest data for Countryside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center:
Facility Name: Countryside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center LLC
Address: 1635 East 154th Street, Dolton, IL 60419
CMS Overall Rating: 1 star (much below average)
CMS Health Inspection Rating: 2 stars (below average)
CMS Staffing Rating: 1 star (much below average)
CMS Quality Measures Rating: 1 star (much below average)
Federal Fines in the Last 3 Years: 3 totaling $218,434
Payment Denials by Medicare in the Last 3 Years: 2
Cited for abuse: Yes
SFF: No
About Countryside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
Countryside Nursing and Rehab Ctr is located in Dolton, IL. It is a skilled nursing facility offering a range of therapy programs, assistance with daily living, short-term rehabilitation, and long-term care. The nursing home is not part of a continuing care retirement community or hospital, but it does accept both Medicare and Medicaid.
The ownership type for Countryside Nursing and Rehab is a for-profit individual. It is owned and operated by one of the many nursing home organizations in Illinois called Extended Care Clinical. The facility itself has 197 certified beds, making it a rather medium-sized institution compared to other nursing homes.
Countryside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center provides numerous services for residents, including:
- Rehabilitation therapy
- Physical therapy
- Speech therapy
- 24-hour skilled nursing care
- Hospice care
- Respite care
- Pain management
- Optometry services
- Psychosocial skills training programs
- Group therapy
- Numerous amenities
- Religious, cultural, and social activities
Countryside Nursing and Rehab Center CMS Overall Ratings, Violations, and Safety Inspections
As mentioned previously, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is the primary federal government agency responsible for regulating nursing homes. To this end, CMS has developed a five-star rating system to help consumers evaluate the quality of these facilities nationwide.
Each institution receives four separate scores if it meets the criteria for each category. First, they receive a star rating based on performance in health inspections. Another score is selected for the facility’s staffing. The third category for the nursing home is quality measures, which essentially refers to the standard of services. Lastly, each facility will receive an overall rating based on the previous three categories.
The scale for this scoring system is as follows:
- One star – Much below average
- Two stars – Below average
- Three stars – Average
- Four stars – Above average
- Five stars – Much above average
More stars mean the nursing home provides better services. With this scale in mind, let’s assess the CMS profile for Countryside Nursing and Rehab Center to determine why it has received such poor ratings and why it’s considered one of the worst nursing homes in Illinois.
Health Inspections
Nursing homes are supposed to be inspected regularly by state or federal entities for clinical data measures. In many cases, inspections are also ordered in response to complaints. Countryside Nursing and Rehab Ctr has not performed particularly well in inspections in the last three years.
The most recent inspection of this nursing home came in September 2024. This report led to 16 health citations against the facility, which is much higher than the state average number of citations of 12.3 and the national average of 9.5. The total number of inspections initiated due to complaints since September 2024 is six. In the last three years, 15 complaints against Countryside have resulted in health citations. There have also been ten occasions where the facility reported its own issues and received health citations as a result.
Here are some of the most troubling concerns uncovered in these inspections that led to some level of harm against skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents:
- A failure to ensure that the nursing home is free of accident hazards and that there is sufficient supervision to prevent injuries
- A failure to protect residents from all types of physical, mental, and sexual abuse and neglect on multiple occasions
- A failure to report allegations of suspected abuse or neglect, resulting in some harm to residents
- A failure to provide adequate assistance with daily living activities
- A failure to provide care according to the resident’s personalized treatment plan and preferences
- A failure to provide safe and appropriate pain management care for residents who needed it
- A failure to provide enough nursing staff to meet the everyday needs of all residents
Nursing Staff
A nursing home cannot function without sufficient, well-trained staff. Unfortunately, the two-star rating means that Countryside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is much below average in this area. For a large facility, this can mean that residents are not receiving treatment and attention to the level they should.
Let’s examine some of the staffing issues that are causing a high percentage of residents to receive insufficient care at this nursing home:
- 151.8 average number of residents per day, which is much higher than the Illinois average of 92.6 and the national average of 84.6
- 2 hours and 29 minutes of nurse staff hours per resident per day, compared to the Illinois average of 3 hours and 26 minutes and the national average of 3 hours and 51 minutes
- 20 minutes of registered nurse hours per resident per day, compared to 43 minutes statewide and 41 minutes nationally
- 1 minute of physical therapy staff hours per resident per day, compared to the state average of 3 minutes and the national average of 4 minutes
- 11 minutes of registered nurse hours per resident per day on the weekend, compared to 33 minutes statewide and 28 minutes nationally
Quality Measures in the Continuing Care Retirement Community
Quality measures refer to the quality of services at a nursing home. At the Dolton, IL, facility, only one star has been assigned for this category. This demonstrates a serious failure to meet professional standards of care.
Let’s look at some specific deficiencies faced by these nursing home residents, starting with short-stay patients:
- 28% of short-stay residents were re-hospitalized after a nursing home admission, which is a higher percentage than the Illinois average of 25.6% and the national average of 23.4%
- 7% of short-stay residents received antipsychotic medication for the first time, compared to 2.3% statewide and 1.6% nationally, representing concerns over chemical restraint practices
- 20.8% of short-stay residents needed and received a flu shot for the current flu season, which is much worse than the lower percentages for the Illinois average of 62% and the national average of 79%
Long-stay residents have also dealt with numerous violations and deficiencies at Countryside Nursing and Rehab Center. Here are some of the most concerning issues for long-term patients:
- 1.8% of long-stay residents have had a catheter inserted and left in their bladder, compared to 1.3% statewide and 1.2% nationally, raising concerns over nursing home catheter infections
- 100% of long-stay residents had symptoms of depression, which is a much higher percentage than the Illinois average of 46.1% and the national average of 10.3%, which could indicate patterns of nursing home mental abuse
- 4.3% of long-stay residents contracted advanced pressure ulcers, which indicates an inability by the nursing staff to prevent pressure ulcers due to neglect
Residents’ Legal Rights Following Abuse or Neglect at Countryside Nursing and Rehab Ctr in Dolton, IL
Residents have the right to receive quality care, maintain a dignified existence, and file complaints against the rehabilitation center. Countryside Nursing is not innocent of violating these rights, and if you suffered harm due to abuse or neglect at this facility, you could pursue justice with a civil lawsuit. A successful claim will allow you to hold the at-fault parties accountable and receive a fair settlement for legal damages.
Losses in a nursing home abuse or neglect case are typically classified as either economic or non-economic damages:
- Medical expenses – Costs associated with treatment for your suffering, such as emergency room visits, surgery, medication, rehabilitation, and therapy
- Future medical bills – If medical treatment continues, your settlement can include future expenses
- Emotional distress – Victims of nursing home abuse and neglect often struggle with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety, fearfulness, depression, self-harm, and suicide ideation
- Pain and suffering – If your mistreatment has caused ongoing pain and suffering, your financial compensation may increase
- Loss of enjoyment of life – A nursing home resident who suffers may struggle to find the same level of joy in life as they did pre-incident
Navigating the claims process after suffering at Countryside Nursing and Rehab Center can be an overwhelming prospect, which is why an experienced Illinois nursing home abuse lawyer can play a significant role in your case.
Our attorneys will provide a safe and compassionate space for you to share your story and seek justice against the liable parties. We can also help you overcome some of the most common challenges associated with the legal process, including insufficient evidence, stubborn defendants, shady insurance company tactics, and unreliable testimony.
How Nursing Home Law Center Can Help
Countryside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has some of the worst possible ratings from CMS. You have the opportunity to effect change by pursuing a civil claim against this nursing home if you have suffered from abuse or neglect. Our attorneys know what it takes to build a strong case and fight for fair compensation for nursing home victims.
Our legal services throughout the claims process include:
- Investigating Countryside Nursing and Rehab Center for negligence or intentional misconduct
- Gathering evidence of wrongdoing, such as witness statements, surveillance footage, and past complaint reports
- Assessing all legal damages to maximize compensation
- Protecting your rights as a nursing home resident under state and federal laws
- Submitting subpoenas to obtain facility documents
- Researching past health inspections to uncover patterns of neglect
- Working with the Illinois Department of Health and Human Services
- Negotiating with insurance companies for the maximum settlement
- Litigating in civil court if a settlement cannot be reached
At Nursing Home Law Center, we work on a contingency fee basis. This means you don’t owe any fees for working with a Dolton nursing home abuse lawyer unless we secure a favorable outcome. We also offer a free consultation, during which you can ask questions about physical neglect or sexual abuse at a nursing home.
If you have suffered a major injury or emotional damage due to an incident at Countryside Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, contact us today at 800-926-7565 or complete the online form to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with our expert attorneys.