nursing home negligence

Coronavirus Cases and Deaths Skyrocket at Illinois Nursing Homes

May 8, 2020 | The Collins Law Firm, P.C.

senior-with-mask-5088202_1920-1024x714 As the number of people infected with COVID-19 in Illinois continues to rise, new information is revealing how devastating the coronavirus has been in nursing homes in the state. In total, 438 nursing homes around the state have current outbreaks. Recently released data shows that there are more than 14,882 cases of COVID-19 in nursing homes across Illinois and 2400 deaths—about 50% of the COVID-19 deaths in Illinois. These numbers exploded after the state began stepping up testing of residents and staff at nursing homes.

These facilities have the worst outbreaks of COVID-19 in the state as of May 8:

City View Multi-Care Center in Cicero – 216 residents and staff have tested positive for coronavirus and 9 have died.

Illinois Finally Releases COVID-19 Numbers at Nursing Homes: Search for Your Loved One’s Nursing Home Here

April 20, 2020 | Margaret Collins

virus-4931227_1920-1024x683 The Illinois Department of Public Health has finally released information about the growing numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths at individual nursing homes in the state. As nursing home neglect and abuse attorneys, we have felt that families with loved ones in a nursing home deserve to know this important health information, and we had been dismayed by the secrecy and lack of transparency in Illinois up until now.

Below is a list of Illinois nursing homes with the worst outbreaks, as reported by the Chicago Tribune. It includes the nursing homes with the highest number of cases/deaths as of April 19. Unfortunately, we expect these numbers to rise in the coming weeks as nursing homes report more cases.

Cook County:

How Nursing Home Understaffing may be Endangering Residents during the COVID-19 Pandemic

April 2, 2020 | John Risvold

aging-2379003_1920-1024x819 Nursing Home residents require around the clock care and focused one on one attention from skilled nurses and certified nurse assistants. Many nursing homes, however, have severe understaffing problems. These problems are largely the result of nursing home owners putting profits ahead of quality care. Why is a shortage of staff so important? Being short-staffed seriously impacts the quality of care that residents receive. Understaffing is one of the major contributing factors to nursing home abuse and neglect. And it can lead to the spread of infections like COVID-19 among vulnerable residents in nursing homes. Already, at least 400 nursing homes around the country have confirmed cases of COVID-19 and that number will likely increase in the days and weeks ahead.

Unfortunately, the problem of understaffing is not likely to go away any time soon. With 25% to 30% of nurses in Illinois set to retire in the next five years, the state expects a shortage of 21,000 nurses by 2021. By contrast, nursing homes expect to see significant growth in population. The number of Illinois residents age 85 and older is projected to grow by over 50 percent by 2030. This will worsen an already serious problem.

How Prevalent is Under Staffing?

Study Shows Illinois Nursing Homes Among the Worst for Infection Control: Critics Worry Whether They Can Stop COVID-19

April 1, 2020 | John Risvold

coronavirus-4923544_1920-1-1024x576 During the global COVID-19 pandemic, elderly populations are among the most vulnerable to the virus and its devastating effects. Nursing Homes are especially vulnerable, as elderly or immunocompromised residents are clustered together.

An analysis by the Chicago Tribune finds that federal nursing home inspection records show that Illinois’ nursing home facilities are among the worst in the nation for preventing patient infections. The Tribune found that one of the major factors leading to poor infection rates is a failure to follow rules to prevent and contain infections.

The Tribune analysis found that 642 out of 723 Illinois nursing homes, or 89%, have been cited for violating infection control regulations at least once since 2016. Moreover, the Tribune found 77 facilities in the Chicago area that had three or more citations since 2016. Nine of those had five or more citations and one had seven. This is especially troubling at the present time, as preventing the spread of COVID-19 requires nursing homes to strictly adhere to infection control measures.