Locating the best nursing facility in the local community can be a challenging issue for any family facing the undesirable decision to place a loved one in a Cook County nursing home. Unfortunately, abuse and neglect have become serious problems in caregiving facilities across the United States. Often, the family is unaware that their loved one has been mistreated until a serious, life-threatening issue arises.
If your loved one was injured or died unexpectedly while living in a nursing home, contact the Illinois Nursing Home Law Center attorneys for immediate legal intervention. Our team of Chicago nursing home neglect lawyers has successfully resolve cases exactly like yours and can help your family too. We use the law to hold those responsible for the harm legally and financially accountable. Call us now so we can begin working on your case today.
This Medicare/Medicaid-participating nursing facility is a "for profit" home providing services to residents of Lansing and Cook County, Illinois. The 84-certified bed long-term care center is located at:
2500 East 175Th Street
Lansing, Illinois, 60438
(708) 474-7330
In addition to providing around-the-clock skilled nursing care, Tri-State Nursing and Rehabilitation Center offers other services that include:
Federal and state investigators can penalize any nursing home that has violated rules and regulations that resulted in harm or could have harmed of a resident. These penalties include imposing monetary fines and denying payment for Medicare services.
Within the last three years, Tri-State Nursing and Rehabilitation Center received twelve formally filed complaints due to substandard care. Additional information about penalties and fines can be found on the Illinois Department of Public Health Nursing Home Reporting Website concerning this nursing facility.
Detailed information on each long-term care facility in the state can be obtained on government-run websites including Medicare.gov and the Illinois Department of Public Health website. These regulatory agencies routinely update their list of opened investigations, dangerous hazards, filed complaints, safety concerns, incident inquiries, and health violations on nursing homes statewide.
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 three 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 Tri-State Nursing and Rehabilitation Center that include:
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated May 4, 2018, a state investigator noted the nursing home's failure to “follow their handwashing policy for hand hygiene during a medication pass for one resident of three residents reviewed for medication pass.”
The survey team observed a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) preparing and administrating a resident’s medication just before noon on May 2, 2018. The LPN failed to wash hands before administering medications to a second resident.” After the second administration to a different resident, the LPN “washed hands at the sink of [that resident] then proceeded to [another resident’s] room.”
A few minutes later, the LPN “prepared and administrated by crushing and putting in applesauce, [the resident’s medication to be given by mouth].” After, the RN “returned to the medication cart without washing hands.”
The investigators interviewed the LPN who said that “I am supposed to wash my hands after giving medication to every third patient unless I come into contact with saliva or body fluids.” The LPN said during the in-services that “that was the understanding that I got.”
The investigators interviewed the Director of Nursing who said that “all nurses should have hand sanitizers or wash their hands, if they do not wash their hands, it can cause contamination.” The investigators reviewed the facility’s policy titled: Hand Washing/Hand Hygiene dated November 2013 that reads in part:
“It is the policy at the facility to assure staff practice recognized hand-washing/hand hygiene procedures as a primary means to prevent the spread of infections among residents, personnel and visitors.”
“When hands are not visibly soiled, employees may use an alcohol-based hand rub containing 60%-95% [alcohol-based sanitizers] before direct contact with residents; after direct contact with the resident but [before] direct contact with another resident; before preparing or handling medications.”
In a separate summary statement of deficiencies dated June 14, 2017, the state investigators documented that “the facility failed to ensure staff performed hand hygiene after patient care, clean the blood glucose monitor after testing a resident’s blood sugar. The facility failed to follow its policy for Infection Control Protocol.”
It was documented that “these failures have the potential to affect all twenty-seven residents on the East Wing and two residents in the supplemental sample.” During an interview with the Director of Nursing, the surveyors asked, “what are your expectations for hand hygiene during the medication pass a when providing resident care?” The Director stated that “staff needs to wash and sanitize their hands before starting in between residents.”
The surveyors asked, “if the blood pressure cuff is placed on the resident’s bed, should it be sanitized before using it on another resident?” The facility Director responded it should be cleaned and sanitized with sanitizing wipes before being used on the next resident or put into the medication cart drawer where it can come in contact with other items in the medication cart.
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated June 14, 2017, the state investigators documented that the facility had failed to “ensure that each resident receives adequate supervision and assistance devices to prevent falls. These failures affected two residents.”
One incident involved observation of a resident in the main dining room “sitting in a wheelchair leaning forward at approximately a 45-degree angle.” A Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) “was asked to check the chair alarm pad to make sure was operating correctly. Upon inspection, the surveyor found that although the green signal light was flashing, the wheelchair alarm pad was not in the correct position in the wheelchair to enable the alarm to sound if [the resident] had been falling from the wheelchair.”
The surveyor “requested a spot check of the chair alarm placement for [two residents]. Although both chair alarm pads’ green signal lights were flashing, both alarm pads were out of place for [both residents] in the back and on the sides of the wheelchairs.”
The surveyors reviewed a resident’s Medical Records that showed thirty-two falling events occurring between August 4, 2016, and June 3, 2017. The first incident on August 4, 2016, at 3:45 PM indicated that the resident “fell from the bed and [was] found face down on the floor. The floor was wet from incontinent of bowel. [There were] cookies on the floor around [the resident].” However, “no bed alarm was indicated.”
On another incident, occurring on August 16, 2016, at 4:15 PM, the resident “fell to the floor [while] reaching for a napkin.”
Later that day, the resident “fell from the wheelchair in the dining room and complained of pain to the back of the head and neck pain.” The resident was “transferred to the hospital for evaluation. No serious injuries resulted from the fall.”
An incident documented on September 5, 2016, indicates that the resident “fell from the bed with [the] bed alarm sounding [and] stated to the nurse, [that they were] messing with the controls and fell.” On September 10, 2016, the resident “fell to the floor from the wheelchair in the dining room. The nurse was alerted by the housekeeper. The initial fall report dated September 10, 2017, at 8:40 PM indicated that the chair alarm did not sound.”
On November 17, 2016, the resident “fell from the bed and [was] found kneeling next to the bed. The Progress Notes dated November 17, 2016, at 6:45 AM indicated [the resident] yelled out. No indication that the alarm sounded.” On three occasions occurring on April 16, 2017, May 14, 2017, and May 20, 2017, indicated that the resident “fell to the floor mat, and the staff responded to the bed alarm.” The last incident documented on June 3, 2017, indicates that the resident fell to their knees while attempting to transfer from the bed without assistance.
The state survey team interviewed the Director of Nursing who was asked: “what did the facility do to prevent [the resident’s] frequency of falls/” The Director stated that “the Falls Nurse investigates, and we discuss the falls at the Falls Meeting.”
The surveyors asked the Director “what was the reason for so many falls by [the resident]?” The Director replied that “most of the falls are behavior-related and putting himself on the floor, he is improving but shows this behavior at intervals. We do extra room checks, but he is delusional and [has] hallucinations.”
The Director said that “previously, the daughter would not [allow] psych services to work with him. She finally consented within the last few months.”
The Restorative Nurse discussed the problem with the interdisciplinary team at a meeting and said that the resident “is delusional, has hallucinations and psych issues. Our goal is that he does not get hurt because we know he is going to fall. He does not fall as much as when he was first admitted; we continue to discuss the root cause of every fall.”
The surveyors asked the Restorative Nurse “if a restraint could help prevent some falls?” The Restorative Nurse responded “I think that would make it worse because he might be agitated. He has been approved for a custom wheelchair.” The investigators reviewed the facility’s policy titled: Goals and Objectives, Care Plans that read in part:
“When goals and objectives are not achieved, the resident’s clinical records will be documented. Care plans will be modified accordingly.”
In a summary statement of deficiencies dated February 1, 2018, the state survey team indicated that the nursing home “failed to demonstrate that care and services were provided for residents receiving oxygen by not following physician’s orders. This failure resulted in staff not signing off on the Medication Flow that residents received oxygen as ordered and not transcribing the oxygen order on the Medication Administration Record.”
Part of the findings by the surveyors indicated that the “facility’s medication administration policy denotes to Authorized Licensed Nursing Personnel and Qualified Medication Aide to prepare and administer drugs and biologicals. All licensed nurses assigned the responsibility of administering and recording of medication must meet the requirement of the state. Medication shall be recorded on the Medication Administration Record promptly after each administration by the individual who administered the drug.”
The investigative team reviewed a resident’s Medication Administration Record (MAR)for an entire month that showed that “three days later, the nasal cannula was continuously not signed off during the timeframe.”
In Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) stated that on January 30, 2018 at 11:00 AM, that they took care of three residents and “made sure that they were getting their oxygen as ordered but did not know that she had to sign off the Medication Administration Record that they were getting oxygen because they were getting it continuously.”
The investigative team interviewed the Administrator who said on the last day of January that “there is no Medication Administration Record that has oxygen order on it for [that resident] until she was discharged.” The Administrator said that “staff has been in-serviced on transcribing orders and were confused because some orders do not come up in the general format and then do not get transcribed in the Medication Administration Record as they should.”
The Administrator said that “they will correct the issue going forward and nurses should not make the mistake of not signing off when oxygen is ordered by the doctor.”
Do you suspect that your loved one was the victim of abuse, mistreatment or neglect while living at Tri-State Nursing and Rehabilitation Center? If so, contact the Illinois nursing home abuse and neglect attorneys at Nursing Home Law Center at (800) 926-7565 today. Our network of attorneys fights aggressively on behalf of Cook County victims of mistreatment living in long-term facilities including nursing homes in Lansing. Contact us now to schedule a free case review to discuss how to obtain justice and resolve a financial compensation claim.
Our team of attorneys has years of experience in successfully resolving financial claims for compensation against all parties who caused nursing home residents harm, injury, loss, or preventable death. We accept every case involving nursing home neglect, wrongful death, or personal injury 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.
Our network of attorneys offers every client a “No Win/No-Fee” Guarantee, meaning if we are unable to resolve your case successfully, you owe us nothing. Our team of attorneys can begin working on your behalf today to make sure you are adequately compensated for your damages. 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