Ethylene Oxide/Sterigenics Updates

hand-3666974_1920-1-300x200Bria of Geneva, a for-profit nursing home, is located at 1101 E. State St. in Geneva, Illinois. They participate in both Medicare and Medicaid programs and have 107 certified beds. Bria of Geneva, like many other nursing homes in Chicago’s western suburbs, is facing a major outbreak of COVID-19. Since April, 75 of their 91 residents and 37 of their employees have tested positive for COVID -19. Sadly, 24 residents–more than a quarter of all the residents at the facility–have died. Lawsuits have been filed and families want answers

U.S. News & World Report rates Bria of Geneva as average, giving them 3 out of 5 stars. Medicare.gov gives them four out of five stars (above average) based on staffing levels and recent health inspections.

Medicare Health Inspections

Coronavirus-at-nursing-home-300x209Symphony of Joliet is a for-profit nursing home located at 306 N Larkin Ave. in Joliet, Illinois. They participate in both Medicaid and Medicare programs and have 214 beds. After learning the facility was facing one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Illinois, Joliet Mayor Bob O’Dekirk called for a state investigation into Symphony of Joliet. Since then, officials at the facility have said they believe the virus may have been spread by a maintenance manager who assembled dining tables in as many as 40 patient rooms, unaware that he had already been infected with coronavirus. As of May 12th, 2020, Symphony of Joliet had 127 cases of COVID-19, 24 resident deaths, and 2 staff deaths (including the maintenance manager).

Medicare.gov gives Symphony of Joliet two out of five stars (below average) based on staffing levels and recent health inspections. Staffing levels are about average at the nursing home: residents receive care from a nursing aide for 1 hour and 56 minutes a day, compared to 2 hours and 18 minutes nationally, and care from a licensed nurse for 1 hour and 22 minutes a day versus a national average of 1 hour and 34 minutes.

Medicare Health Inspections at Symphony of Joliet

elderly-woman-in-mask-300x204Woodbridge Nursing Pavilion is a for-profit nursing home located in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. This large, 222-bed facility participates in both Medicare and Medicaid. Woodbridge Nursing Pavilion is one of many Illinois nursing homes facing significant outbreaks of COVID-19. As of May 23, 2020, 30 people at the nursing home have died due to COVID-19 and another 210 residents and staff have tested positive.

Medicare.gov gives them one out of five stars (much below average) based on staffing levels and recent health inspections. Staffing levels at Woodbridge Nursing pavilion are low: residents receive care from a registered nurse for 13 minutes per day, compared to the national average of 41 minutes, and 1 hour and 30 minutes of care from a nursing aide, compared to 2 hours and 18 minutes nationally.

In 2019, government health inspections found 20 health deficiencies; 13 were found in 2018, and 17 deficiencies were found in 2017. In the last 3 years, 16 complaints have been filed by residents or others that resulted in citations to Woodbridge Nursing Pavilion.

hands-2906458_1920-1024x683Peterson Park Health Care Center is a nursing home located at 6141 North Pulaski Road in Chicago, Illinois. It is a large, 196-bed facility–with for-profit ownership—that participates in Medicaid and Medicare. Like many other long-term care facilities across Illinois, Peterson Park is facing a major COVID-19 outbreak. 126 residents and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 and 17 people have died as of May 12th, 2020.

US News & World Report gives the facility 2 out of 5 stars. Medicare.gov gives Peterson Park Health Care Center three out of five stars (average) on based on recent staffing levels and health inspections.

In 2019, government health inspections found 4 health deficiencies; in 2018, 14 health deficiencies were found, and in 2017, 10 deficiencies were found. In the last 3 years, the Peterson Park Health Care Center has had 10 complaints, filed by residents or others, which resulted in citations. 2019 health inspections found that the facility failed to:

Nursing-home-photoAlden Estates of Naperville is a for-profit nursing home located at 1525 Oxford Lane in Naperville, Illinois. They participate in Medicaid and Medicare programs and have 203 certified beds. They are one of many Illinois nursing homes facing a severe outbreak of COVID-19. As of May 23, 2020, a reported 91 residents and staff have tested positive for COVID-19 and 21 people have died.

Alden Estates of Naperville receives two out of five stars (below average) on Medicare.gov based on recent staffing levels and health inspections. While residents received an adequate amount of nursing care, they received an hour less time per day from nursing aides than the national average.

A Medicare health inspection in 2019 found 11 health deficiencies; 21 deficiencies were found in 2018, and 17 deficiencies were found in 2017. In the last 3 years, Alden Estates of Naperville has had 16 complaints filed by residents or others that resulted in citations. Their 2019 health inspection found that the facility failed to:

Elderly-man-on-ventilator-1024x678
Meadowbrook Manor is a 298-bed nursing home in Bolingbrook, Illinois that participates in Medicare and Medicaid. According to recent IDPH numbers, they are facing a major COVID-19 outbreak with 176 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 26 deaths, the most deaths in any long-term care facility in Illinois.

Medicare.gov gives the facility two out of five stars (below average) based on staffing and health inspections. Meadowbrook Manor’s staffing levels are lower than average, with residents receiving  59 minutes of licensed registered nursing time per day versus 1 hour and 34 minutes nationally, and 1 hour and 23 minutes of a nursing aide’s time compared to a national average of 2 hours and 18 minutes.

Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) Violations

elderly-1461424_1920-thumb-350x233-90117-300x200City 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:

environmental-protection-326923_1920-1024x683COVID-19 has had disastrous effects on humans around the globe. It has killed thousands, left even more in financial despair, and infected millions of people worldwide. However, it does not come without a silver lining. As a result of coronavirus-related shutdowns, air pollution, which plays a major role in whether those infected with COVID-19 live or die, is at its lowest level in years. If we pay close enough attention, this pandemic can also function as a learning moment for the climate crisis.

Worldwide, air pollution levels have dropped drastically as a result of shelter-in-place orders. The Himalayas are visible to those in India for the first time in years, skies across the globe are clearer than they’ve been in a very long time, and air pollution levels are the best they’ve been in nearly three decades. Perhaps more importantly,  highways are empty, planes are grounded, and factories have slowed production, reducing hazardous emissions in the air. While these improvements are exciting, they are temporary. The sharp reduction in fossil fuel pollution as a direct result of shelter-in-place orders has caused a short-term improvement in the quality of air that we are breathing.

However, we cannot expect these results to continue once the pandemic is over and orders are lifted. We must use this moment to pay attention and move forward into a new and better future. If we do not, when the shutdowns are over and life returns to the way it was, so will air pollution levels. We’re already seeing this happen in China, where the shutdown in response to COVID-19 is being slowly lifted. China’s air pollution levels dropped just like ours have. Now that their shutdown is being lifted, air pollution levels have jumped right back up to where they were before. Not only is this extremely disappointing for the fate of our planet, but it’s also extremely scary given that their shelter-in-place orders are not even fully lifted yet. This means that it’s possible that China’s air pollution levels may be even worse once the pandemic is fully over.

On April 21st, 2020 at 10:26 AM, a three-vehicle crash on I-94 near Deerfield, IL claimed the lives of 29-year-old Roberta Harris from Chicago and 28-year-old Christopher Lopez from Bronx, New York. The cause of death was determined to be blunt-force injuries. Roberta Harris, Christopher Lopez, and a third unnamed passenger were driving south on I-94 in a Jeep Cherokee when Lopez sideswiped a truck, this initial impact caused his car to spin, he then crashed into another truck. The third passenger in Lopez and Harris’ vehicle was hospitalized at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge with serious injuries and the two semi-truck drivers were taken to Highland Park Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Being injured in an auto accident is traumatic. But for passengers injured in a car crash where their driver was potentially at fault, it can be even more stressful. Not only do they have to deal with injuries, but they also have to face the fact that their injuries may have been caused by the negligence of someone they trusted, possibly even a friend. That can be an extremely difficult thing. However, this should not stop the victims from pursuing the damages to which they are entitled.

If you have been injured in a car accident while someone else was driving, you deserve an experienced car accident attorney fighting for your rights. At The Collins Law Firm, our team of dedicated car accident attorneys will work to ensure you get the compensation you deserve. Fill out our free contact form or call us today at (630) 527-1595 for a free consultation.

senior-with-mask-5088202_1920-1024x714As 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.
Contact Information