* Sun-Times…

Local and state officials are investigating whether neglect by new management was the reason a Lincolnshire nursing care facility with 104 residents was so understaffed that three residents had to receive care at a nearby hospital.

A contract employee at the facility at 150 Jamestown Lane called 911 for help Monday morning after no medical staff and only about one-third of the facility’s total employees arrived for duty, Lincolnshire police and Illinois Department of Public Health officials said Tuesday.

Monday was the first day The Wealshire LLC took over as the facility operator from the previous owner, Warren Barr Rehab Facility, said Lincolnshire Deputy Chief Kimberly Covelli.

* IDPH is investigating. Here’s the press release…

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has opened an investigation into a nursing home in Lincolnshire after receiving reports yesterday that there were no medical staff on duty at Warren Barr Lincolnshire, a skilled nursing facility licensed to house 144 beds at 150 Jamestown Lane.

IDPH nursing home surveyors responded immediately to the home Monday morning after being alerted to the lack of clinical care staff. The Lincolnshire Fire Department EMS units also responded to the home to assist in caring for residents. When IDPH staff arrived, they encountered the facility medical director who had arrived to check on patients and no nursing or other clinical staff on duty at the facility.

The IDPH surveyors assisted in assessing the facility for safety and quickly worked to contact staff who had previously worked at the facility. IDPH worked with the staff to develop a plan for continuing care coverage for the residents for the next 24 hours and through the next week. There were 104 residents in the home at the time.

“Our first priority was to ensure the care and well-being of all affected residents,” IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said. “A comprehensive review and investigation is underway. We are grateful for the swift response by local EMS and police officials in Lincolnshire, as well as our sister agency, the Illinois Department on Aging, all of whom assisted in responding to this urgent issue.”

IDPH is investigating a failure to provide adequate staff and to provide for the health and safety of residents under Illinois’s Nursing Home Care Act. The department is also coordinating the investigation with federal CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) which is responsible for long term care facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The investigation will assess if penalties will be handed down, including the possibility of citations and monetary fines.

* Daily Herald…

Monday was the first day The Wealshire, LLC took over as the facility operator from the previous owner, Warren Barr Rehab Facility, said Lincolnshire Deputy Chief Kimberly Covelli. […]

Covelli said three residents were taken by paramedics from the Lincolnshire-Riverwoods Fire Protection District to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville for medical treatment. At least two of the residents received the type of care they usually get at the facility when there are enough employees, Covelli said.

State officials said IDPH nursing home surveyors responded immediately to the facility Monday morning after being alerted to the lack of clinical care staff.

Employees who had worked under the previous owners were called in to help and provide proper care to patients at the facility. IDPH officials worked with staff to make a plan to provide care for the residents.

* ABC Chicago…

Ceil Barrie said when she came to move her parents out, she found nearly no staff on site, leaving some seniors without medical care for hours.

“It’s criminal that they left those people unattended for that long,” Barrie said. “Walked through the front doors, police everywhere, and then just an eerie, eerie silence.” […]

Residents were made aware of the ownership changes in two letters last week. Barrie said when she arrived, the place was nearly empty of all staff.

“People, that morning, were calling ambulances. They were calling 911 just to get their parents out because they needed care,” she said.

* CBS Chicago…

The care facility, previously called Warren Barr Lincolnshire sent a letter to patients and their families late last week, notifying them of an ownership change in two days.

Warren Barr was out and the Wealshire Rehab Center was in, with little explanation. The incoming owner, Arnie Goldberg followed up with his own letter to residents: “The memory care facility would suddenly now be “devoted to kidney and cardiac rehabilitation” instead.

The letter was enough for Ceil Barrie to decide to move both of her parents out.

“There were a few red flags that something wasn’t quite right,” Barrie said.

On May 1st, the ownership transition was set to take place, the same day Barrie was moving her parents out.

…Adding… Press release

State Senator Julie Morrison is calling on the Warren Barr Lincolnshire nursing facility to ensure residents have 24/7 access to critical care staff, following reports that staff numbers were at dangerously low levels Monday morning.

“There is absolutely no excuse for medical staff to be at dangerously low levels,” said Morrison (D-Lake Forest). “Nursing home management has a duty to provide around the clock care. A delay in care could be the difference between life and death.”

The Illinois Department of Public Health opened an investigation into the Lincolnshire Nursing Home after reports that there was a lack of clinical care staff to help the facility’s 104 residents Monday. The agency quickly worked to develop a plan for continuing coverage and is launching a full investigation into the matter.

Morrison thanks IDPH for taking swift action, but is calling upon Warren Barr Lincolnshire to improve its operations so a future tragedy doesn’t occur.

“Our state’s most vulnerable residents are often in nursing homes for access to 24/7 care and assistance,” Morrison said. “The issue at Lincolnshire should have never happened in the first place – and we must ensure it never happens again.”

Morrison will continue to monitor the situation and work with IDPH to ensure residents are cared for.