Illinois facility cited with neglect of disabled children remains open

 Posted on February 12, 2014 in Firm News

After numerous patient deaths and countless violations, the doors of Alden Village North facility in Illinois will remain open. Located on the North Side, the nursing facility is responsible for the care of severely disabled young adults, as well as children with developmental disabilities.

Most recently in 2011, department officials attempted to revoke the operating license of Alden Village North using examples of nursing home neglect and death that had occurred at the facility within the past three years. After reopening the case, the facility was cited for four more deaths where medical care was delayed or insufficient.

In 2010, death and neglect issues were brought to the attention of State officials, when a journal investigation uncovered a rash of incidents that had occurred at the facility. During a ten year period, between 2000 and 2010, fourteen patients died due to the facility’s unreasonable standard of care. One nine year old boy suffered from severe bowel obstruction and died of infection and shock after being left unattended in the facility for two days. Another patient died after a medication error resulted in the administration of too much medication.

After paperwork was filed to close the doors on Alden Village, legal barriers kept the closure from going through. During 2009-2013, five more deaths occurred at the facility; however, the penalties have since been dropped or reduced.

A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health reported that the cited problems in question did not reach a level where revocation of the facility’s license was deemed necessary. Today, the facility continues to house disabled children and young adults who are unable to care for themselves.

Source: Chicago Tribune News, “Questions persist at facility housing children with disabilities,” Sam Roe, January 31, 2014