COVID-19 at City View Multicare Center in Cicero: Nursing Home Struggling with Shocking Coronavirus Outbreak

City View Multicare Center is a for-profit nursing home located in Cicero, Illinois. They participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs and have 485 beds. Currently, they are one of many nursing homes in Illinois battling a severe outbreak of COVID-19. As of May 11, 2020, 262 residents and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 and 11 people have died at the nursing home.

Medicare.gov gives them one out of five stars (much below average) based on recent health inspections and staffing levels. Regarding staffing, residents at City View Multicare receive 11 minutes of care from a registered nurse per day, compared to a national average of 41 minutes, and 52 minutes of a nursing aide’s time compared to 2 hours and 18 minutes nationally.

A government health inspection in 2019 found 18 health deficiencies; an inspection in 2018 found 18 as well, and 10 deficiencies were found in 2017. In the last 3 years, City View Multicare has had 17 complaints filed by residents or others that resulted in citations. Health inspections in 2019 found that the facility failed to:

• Protect each resident from physical, sexual, and mental abuse, physical punishment, and neglect.
• Develop and implement procedures for employees to report a suspected crime against a resident, post employee rights, and prohibit retaliation for reporting.
• Honor the resident’s right to self-determination, communication, a dignified existence, and the ability to exercise his or her rights.
• Reasonably accommodate the preferences and needs of each resident.
• Provide the residents with a safe, clean, comfortable, and homelike environment.
• Provide assistance with performing the activities of daily living for residents who are unable to do so on their own.
• Provide appropriate care and treatment according to orders, the resident’s wishes, and goals.
• Provide enough food and fluids to maintain the health of a resident.
• Provide safe and appropriate respiratory care for residents who need it.
• Provide safe, appropriate pain management for residents who require this service.
• Ensure medication error rates are less than 5 percent.
• Ensure drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled according to accepted professional principles; that they are stored in locked compartments, with separately locked compartments for controlled drugs.
• Provide each resident with a nourishing, well-balanced diet that meets his or her special dietary needs and daily nutrition requirements.
• Provide special utensils and eating equipment for residents who need them and appropriate assistance with eating if necessary.
• Procure food from approved sources and store, prepare, distribute, and serve food according to professional standards.
• Provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.
• Ensure that each resident’s bathroom and bathing area are equipped with a working call system.

Do You Need a Nursing Home Attorney?

If your loved one has an injury or infection which you believe is the result of abuse or negligence at the City View Multicare Center, or if they have recently died from a COVID-19 infection acquired at the facility, it is critical that you talk to an experienced attorney. Contact the Illinois nursing home attorneys at The Collins Law Firm as soon as possible and let us help you determine if you have a claim against the facility. Fill out our contact form or call us at (630) 527-1595 for a FREE evaluation of your case. Your loved one deserves better.

For more information on COVID-19 at nursing homes in the Chicago area, please read our nursing home blog.