Following Incidents of Chicago Nursing Home Violence and Abuse, Authorities Take Steps to Withdraw Somerset Place’s Federal Funding
On Friday, federal health care officials began taking steps to end Somerset Place’s federal funding. The Chicago, Illinois nursing home has come under close scrutiny following several incidents of nursing home abuse and patient violence. Somerset tired to block the bar against federal funding with an emergency civil action, but a district court judge denied its request.
Somerset is one of the biggest nursing homes in Illinois. According to recent inspection reports by federal health care workers, patients at Somerset are poorly supervised and some of them are prone to aggression and drug use. At the end of 2009, there were 66 mentally ill, convicted felons residing among the facility’s approximately 300 nursing home residents. The Illinois Department of Public Health has cited the Chicago-area assisted living facility multiple times for violations.
Over a 15-month period, beginning April 2008, Chicago police have examined 15 alleged incidents of battery or assault, 5 cases of alleged drug possession, and 5 alleged sexual assault incidents at the assisted living facility. One patient was killed after she wandered off the premise, prostituted herself, and used crack cocaine. Other Somerset residents have also been able to walk out of the nursing home and deal drugs, beg for money, assault others, and solicit sex. According to two people that work at the Chicago nursing home, caseworkers are inadequately trained and the assisted living facility is poorly staffed.
State officials have come up with a plan to move residents.
Chicago Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect
Chicago assisted living facilities are supposed to protect all of their patients from any kind of abuse, violence, or other hazards, while keeping them safe. This includes ensuring that nursing home workers are not abusing or neglecting patients, protecting residents from residents that are considered potentially dangerous, and making sure that patients do not harm themselves or go off the premise without supervision.
Troubled nursing home is losing federal money, Chicago Tribune, February 5, 2010
Nursing home loses legal fight to stay in Medicaid, Southtown Star, February 7, 2010
Related Web Resources:
Somerset Place
Please contact Chicago, Illinois nursing home negligence attorney Steve Malman today.
