CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) – A nursing home in Champaign is paying more fines after two other resident deaths.
The News-Gazette reports Helia Healthcare – the same nursing home that paid a fine after 89-year-old Annette White, who had Alzheimer's disease, went outside alone in the cold and died in December – saw two other resident deaths in early 2018. They resulted in $75,000 in fines from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
In the first case, investigators say a man with tongue cancer was not supervised while eating dinner while in his room on Feb. 7 and as his mother was in the room. She called a nurse for him, who IDPH says – along with the mother - didn’t know he needed staff supervision for eating. An IDPH report says he had breathing issues and was placed on his side before going to the hospital. He lost his life the following day.
The newspaper says the second death happened because of what IDPH called “poorly maintained” mechanical lift slings, which move patients to different places. On Feb. 23, investigators say the sling’s loop tore, causing the person to fall and suffer a brain hemorrhage. They died in a hospital on March 18.
Another sling loop snapped earlier that same month as the same resident used it, investigators say. IDPH says that lift sling issue could have affected more residents at Helia. It gave a class AA fine of $50,000 for that person's death.
The News-Gazette says Helia Healthcare only had to pay $48,750 of the fines because it didn’t contest the charges. The nursing home has a one-star rating through Medicare.
The paper says Helia Healthcare could not be reached to comment on its story.
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The newspaper also reports Country Health in Gifford faces a $25,000 fine because IDPH says it didn't let a resident's doctors know about a "significant weight gain". That nursing home also did not return The News-Gazette's request for comment.
