Attorney General Madigan: Arrest Made in Nursing Home Compliance Sweep in Rock Island

Attorney General Lisa Madigan today announced investigators from her office conducted two “Operation Guardian” compliance checks in Rock Island and Knox counties. Madigan said investigators made unannounced visits to nursing homes in East Moline and Galesburg this week, making onearrest as part of the sweeps.

Operation Guardian investigators have made surprise visits to 146 facilities and arrested 36 employees and residents as part of the Attorney General’s ongoing effort to ensure nursing home residents are safe and receiving appropriate care.

“Nursing homes should provide safe, caring environments for residents and peace of mind for their family members,” Madigan said. “We will continue to conduct these compliance visits until we’re assured that residents in these facilities are not being put in harm’s way.”

Today’s sweeps were the 24th and 25th compliance checks conducted by Madigan’s office and other state agencies since she launched her Operation Guardian initiative in February 2010. At East Moline Nursing and Rehab, 430 S. 30thAve., East Moline, investigators arrested an employeebased on an outstanding and active arrest warrant. Investigators also conducted a check at Galesburg Terrace, 1145 Frank St., Galesburg, and made no arrests.

Galesburg Terrace has 108 beds, of which 80 are Medicaid eligible, and East Moline Nursing and Rehab has 120 beds, of which 48 residents are eligible for Medicaid.

The Operation Guardian nursing home compliance checks give state and local agencies the opportunity to review safety and compliance issues. As part of these checks, the Department on Aging’s Long Term Care Ombudsman Program works to ensure residents’ rights are not being violated. The Department of Public Health conducts a compliance review of any identified offenders and any reported incidents in the last six months, and the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation interviews administrators and performs a license check of all professionals employed at the nursing facility.

This initiative expands on the Attorney General’s previous work to shut down south suburban Emerald Park Nursing Home when it was found to be housing numerous sex offenders and other felons.

Madigan has also successfully worked to protect nursing home residents by requiring background checks and criminal history analyses for all residents to identify those who might pose a threat to others. In addition, Madigan authored the Resident’s Right to Know Act that requires nursing homes to complete an annual report detailing the facility’s standard of care, service and security issues to provide better information to residents and their families.