JACKSONVILLE - A Jacksonville nursing home that was fined $20,000 after one of its nurse's aides allegedly terrorized several elderly and sick residents has agreed to pay a reduced amount to settle the case.
But officials from the state and federal governments are considering new fines against Golden Moments Senior Care Center after the Oct. 3 death of a 74-year-old resident who choked on food.
Golden Moments and the Illinois Department of Public Health worked out a deal in which the 113-bed facility will pay a $6,500 fine connected with the nurse's aide's conduct, said department spokeswoman Melaney Arnold.
The nursing home "did not admit liability" in the case, she said.
A Springfield-based advocate for nursing home residents said she was appalled by the fine reduction and noted that central Illinois nursing homes charge $4,000 to $5,000 a month for the care of one resident.
"I find the decision to reduce the fine against Golden Moments for the abuse of residents to be incomprehensible," said Jamie Freschi, regional long-term care ombudsman who works for Springfield's "I CARE" social service agency. "The system has a responsibility to look out for the safety of the residents, not the interests of the facilities."
Golden Moments administrator Christopher Robb refused to comment this week on the $6,500 fine or current conditions inside the facility at 1021 N. Church St.
Pattern of behavior
A complaint previously filed by Public Health officials said Golden Moments nurse's aide Jessie L. Ross, who since has been fired, "displayed a pattern of abusive behavior toward residents" in April and May.
That behavior, according to the complaint, included telling a resident to "go to hell," slapping the resident and depriving the resident of soda and snacks.
The complaint said Ross slapped a different resident, threatened to slit his throat, kicked the resident and held the resident's hands against his chest. Ross also allegedly hid another resident's nail polish and slapped that resident across the face.
Robb previously told The State Journal-Register that $20,000 in fines issued by Public Health was unjustified because officials at the for-profit facility took action immediately upon learning about the conduct.
A state inspection report indicated residents had been complaining to staff members about the aide's conduct for weeks, and that several staff members observed, knew about or suspected physical and mental abuse was going on but failed to report the situation to their superiors.
A separate, $16,400 federal fine has been issued against Golden Moments in connection with the aide's conduct. That fine remains pending, according to Ellen Greif, a branch manager at the Chicago regional office of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Illinois State Police investigated the aide's conduct but concluded that there wasn't enough evidence to support arresting Ross, according to Morgan County State's Attorney Chris Reif. He said he doesn't plan to file any criminal charges.
Public Health is trying to discipline the aide by having her declared an abuser on the Illinois Health Care Worker Registry. If that happens, Ross would be forever banned from working in the long-term care industry.
Ross, who told Public Health officials she was training to become a nurse, is fighting the discipline, which hasn't been finalized. The newspaper's efforts to reach her have been unsuccessful.
Additional concerns
Golden Moments resident Adam Waelz was pronounced dead Oct. 3 after choking on food provided by the nursing home, Morgan County Coroner Jeff Lair said.
According to a state inspection report, Waelz, who was developmentally disabled, was known to be at risk of choking and often ate or drank too fast and should have been closely supervised while in the dining room.
The day of his death, Waelz, who had no teeth, should have received ham that was ground up, but he instead received ham that had been torn into pieces, according to the report.
Lair's death investigation found ham pieces and mashed potatoes from Waelz's mouth lying next to his body. An autopsy revealed a wad of ham pieces the "size of a tangerine" in his windpipe, according to the state report.
Other problems described in the report included failure to keep residents clean, failure to prevent new bed sores from developing on several residents, and failure to provide activities for residents housed in an Alzheimer's unit.
Dean Olsen can be reached at 788-1543.
