OAK BROOK (March 25, 2020) – Claims of inadequate staffing and care at the Willowbrook nursing home loom as the number of COVID-19 cases at the facility grows.
As of today, Illinois has had 12 deaths and 1285 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus. 46 coronavirus cases have been reported at the Willowbrook nursing home, Chateau Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, in DuPage County, Illinois. The 33 patients and 13 staff members who had tested positive for the virus have been kept in isolation, and six long-term care residents have been taken to hospitals.
Due to the situation, Chateau Nursing and Rehabilitation Center remains closed to all visitors.
Certified nurse assistant Tonya Davis, who was sent by an agency, said she’s not coming back. The nurse claims the facility is plagued by inadequate staffing and supplies. “They’re going about it the wrong way. I’m doing patient care and trying to do everything at the proper standards that I’m supposed to and that I was trained for and they’re not allowing,” she said.
In a statement, a company CEO disputed her claims, saying infection control and prevention is ongoing, and protective gear is readily available.
The high number of cases at the Willowbrook nursing home are particularly troubling to state officials.
They said the health department staff continues to work closely with partners from the Illinois Department of Public Health, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the facility’s staff.
The department said it will not provide any information on the patients and staff, to respect their privacy.
The website Coronavirus.Illinois.gov warehouses all the state’s coronavirus information and also contains information regarding medical updates, unemployment benefits and other news.
While the ability to test in Illinois has increased, it’s still not enough, and the acquisition of sufficient testing kits has been the biggest challenge facing the state.
Over the past several years, Willowbrook’s Chateau Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has received multiple instances of negative feedback pointing to issues with understaffing and supply shortages.
In 2019 many Chicago area nursing homes, including Willowbrook’s Chateau Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, were slapped with fines after being in violation of the Nursing Home Care Act, when inspected by the Illinois Department of Public Health. It is also important to note that Illinois nursing homes have more cases of abuse than any other state.
The following local assisted living or senior living centers received code violations in 2019 as well:
When to Contact a Nursing Home Neglect Lawyer
When you trusted an assisted living facility would take excellent care of your loved one, you thought it would offer a safer and better quality of life than you could provide. If you know or suspect that your loved one’s death in a nursing home was due to negligence, you may be able to receive compensation for your loss. To learn more, please call our nursing home abuse lawyers at (630) 684-2332 for a free consultation regarding your case.