Two Rockford nursing homes fined, one over resident’s death

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — The Illinois Department of Public Health has fined two Rockford nursing homes for violations. In one case, a resident choked to death.

The IDPH released its Third Quarterly Report of Nursing Home Violators on Friday.

River Bluff Nursing Home, at 4401 N. Main Street, was fined $12,500 for failure to provide a resident food in the consistency needed.

The resident, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, was medically ordered to be placed on soft foods, but was given a peanut butter and jelly sandwich which caused choking and her subsequent death from cardiac arrest on May 4th, 2019, according to IDPH records.

Prior, on June 5th, 2018, the resident had been served a grilled cheese sandwich, which had caused a near fatal choking episode, the records show.

Amberwood Care Center, at 2313 North Rockton Avenue, was fined $25,000 for failure to monitor a resident’s skin, which resulted in a pressure injury. According to IDPH records, the resident developed a foot wound that “was down to the bone and tendon.”

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