Kreisman Law Offices Professional Corporation
Wincrest Nursing Center on Chicago’s North Side has been investigated by state and federal authorities for violations committed in its nursing home. The most recent result of this ongoing investigation was a 21-page document theCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services submitted to the nursing home facility in late February.
Included in the Medicare & Medicaid report were allegations of nursing home abuse, specifically that Wincrest failed to notify state officials of felons living within the facility, which is required under Illinois law. In addition, the report accused Wincrest of being aware that some of its residents had used illegal drugs while housed at its nursing home facility and had been involved in crimes in the area surrounding the nursing home.
Wincrest is an 80-bed home located near Chicago’s Loyola University in Roger’s Park. While Wincrest is mostly home to adults with mental illnesses, some of its residents are known to have felony records. There are seven Loyola resident halls located within a block radius of Wincrest, which house about 600 students.
In addition to concerns about the lack of safety surrounding Wincrest’s facility and residents, there are also concerns regarding the medical care of its residents. The summary report showed that some residents were not receiving their medications as prescribed, while other residents were “often found in the facility intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.” The report listed additional episodes of nursing home abuse at Wincrest’s facility.
There seemed to be a general lack of supervision at the northside nursing home, with poor staff supervision and training. Unfortunately, Wincrest is just one of many Illinois nursing homes which are not up to state or federal code. The Chicago Tribune has exposed numerous nursing homes which were not operating up to the state’s standards and have since been investigated or closed. In fact, Wincrest’s current troubles were covered in a Chicago Tribune article yesterday, further exposing the widespread trouble Wincrest is in.
In fact, because of the trouble surrounding Wincrest, federal authorities are poised to terminate Medicaid funding to Wincrest Nursing Center. According to the Chicago Tribune report, Wincrest will stop receiving Medicaid funding by Sunday, March 20, 2011.
The funding cutoff would likely force Wincrest out of business. Ninety-nine percent of its revenue, according to records filed with the state, comes from Medicaid. Officials promise that Wincrest’s residents will be placed in another Illinois nursing home facility and that every effort will be made to respect their needs, rights, and the rights and needs of their families.
Kreisman Law Offices has been handing Chicago nursing home and elder abuse cases in Illinois and Cook County, including Roscoe Village (Chicago), Countryside, Des Plaines, and Forest Park.
Sources:
David Jackson and Gary Marx. “Troubled Chicago nursing home may lose Medicaid funding.” The Chicago Tribune. 16 March 2011.
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