Woodford County health care facility with history of issues fined $75,000 for violations
EL PASO – A health care facility in Woodford County was fined $75,000 for infractions that happened in 2023.
Illinois Department of Public Health assessed the fines against the El Paso Health Care Center, 850 East Second Street, which is owned by Petersen Health Care of Peoria. Along with nursing care, the facility also offers services for mental-health issues such as schizophrenia, psychological problems, and bipolar and behavioral disorders.
The facility appears to have been having difficulties for some time, as it has been fined by the federal government six times in the past three years. According to Medicare.gov, nursing homes with serious health or fire safety citations, or those that fail to correct a citation after a long period of time, can be fined or denied Medicare payments. Since 2021, El Paso Health Care Center has received $505,696 in federal fines.
IDPH details a variety of issues in the business in their second quarter nursing home report for 2023. The staff’s inability to manage the inappropriate sexual behaviors of several residents led to an abusive situation in the home. A 28-year-old man with a history of aggressive and inappropriate sexual behavior was not properly supervised, and several staff members and residents complained about his advances. Staff members knew about a pair of residents engaged in a sexual relationship, but there was confusion about whether the female had the mental capacity to consent to a known, ongoing sexual relationship. According to the IDPH, she did not.
The facility was also fined for not providing the proper dietary needs for a non-verbal resident which led to weight loss and distress. The resident, who must be fed through a gastrostomy tube to receive adequate nutrition, went nine days without the feedings and lost 20 pounds, more than 11% percent of their body weight.
The center was also fined for missing lab appointments, which led to the hospitalization of one resident.
The facility was cited twice in 2022 for lack of effective administrative leadership. According to the report, administrators failed to ensure that all staff received necessary education and training in abuse prevention, and new staff members were not trained to manage residents with behavioral health needs. Administrators also failed to acknowledge and immediately report allegations of verbal and sexual abuse raised by residents, according to the report.
El Paso Health Care Center is not rated by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services due to what it calls "a history of serious quality issues." The agency also flags the home for being cited for abuse.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: El Paso Health Care Center in Woodford County fined $75K. Here's why
