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Research on bidder for Champaign County Nursing Home

May 21, 2018

Dear Friends,

This week, on Thursday, May 24, 2018 at 6:30 p.m., the Champaign County Board will be voting on whether or not to sell the Champaign County Nursing Home (CCNH) to the proposed buyer – Altitude Health and Extended Care Clinical, LLC. – companies owned by members of the Rothner family (William “Avi” Rothner and his father, Eric Rothner).

There are significant concerns about the current bidder, so CCHCC undertook some research to learn more.

Please review this research and decide for yourself whether Champaign County and its residents would be well-served by the sale of our nursing home to this buyer. Please note that more research is ongoing, and we will update you with our findings in the next day or so.

Once you review the research, you can contact your County Board members by phone or e-mail. To see a listing of County Board members, go here: http://www.co.champaign.il.us/CountyBoard/pdf/cbmembers.pdf [1]



Overview



Extended Care LLC

Rainbow Beach

One facility’s record of alleged violence

Chicago Tribune  4/16/12
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-16/news/ct-met-rainbow-nursing-home-timeline-20120416_1_sexual-assault-rainbow-beach-care-center-facility-attorney [2]

Excerpts:
Chicago police responded to 34 reports alleging battery, assault or sexual violence from 2009 to 2011 at Rainbow Beach Care Center, while health inspectors cited other violence.

Beleaguered nursing home manages to expel 2 state monitors

Chicago Tribune 4/16/12
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-rainbow-beach-20120416-story.html [3]

Excerpts:
Two years into the state’s fight to close a troubled South Side nursing home, the facility remains open and even has successfully booted out two state-appointed monitors who were installed to ensure patient safety.

In the most serious episode in July, two male residents were accused of pinning down a 45-year-old female patient and raping her. When police arrived at Rainbow Beach to investigate that allegation, they learned that the two men had allegedly attempted to sexually assault a second seriously disabled female resident just weeks before.

The state, which had moved to revoke the facility’s license in April 2010, placed monitors at Rainbow Beach in the wake of those attacks. But earlier this year, an attorney for the facility persuaded a Cook County judge to issue a temporary restraining order barring them from the premises.

Rainbow Beach had seven allegations of criminal sexual assault or abuse since 2008, more than any other Chicago nursing home, according to preliminary Chicago police data.

The facility also had among the highest number of assault and battery allegations for city nursing homes during that period, the preliminary Chicago police reports show.

Health inspectors have filed five “immediate jeopardy” citations against Rainbow Beach since 2009, while state inspectors asserted that the facility has failed to properly evaluate or treat violent and sexually aggressive residents.

In addition to the facility’s handling of alleged violence, Garate said she was concerned about whether residents with mental illnesses receive effective therapy and treatment that could move them to independence.

Turner said Rothner had no ownership of Rainbow Beach since early last year. The facility’s ownership company is now managed by two of Rothner’s relatives for the benefit of a private trust, according to Turner and separate records, and Turner said she did not know who was behind the trust.

In partnership with close relatives, Rothner has had an ownership stake or administrative role in more than a dozen Illinois nursing facilities, including Somerset Place in Uptown — one of Illinois’ largest facilities until the state shuttered it in 2010. The Tribune had reported on allegations of sexual assault, violence and drug use there, as well as the slaying of one resident who had been trading sex for cash and using cocaine only blocks from the nursing home.

Nursing home sexual violence: 86 Chicago cases since July 2007 — but only 1 arrest

Chicago Tribune 1/26/2010
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-met-nursing-home-rape-20100126-story.html [4]

Excerpts:
At Rainbow Beach Care Center on the South Side, a 61-year-old woman said she was afraid to fight or scream and could only say, “No, no, no, please,” as she was allegedly raped by a schizophrenic 47-year-old man with a “history of inappropriate sexual behavior toward females,” according to a state health department report. When a police report was filed months later, it said the woman had called the sex “consensual.”

A physician had previously ordered that the alleged attacker be given periodic shots of the drug Depo-Provera, a form of chemical castration used on male sex offenders. But state health inspectors found no medical record indicating those shots were given. State investigators also said the facility failed to conduct a “thorough investigation” to determine whether the same man had raped a second woman.

One of the nine alleged attacks that did not turn up in police records released to the Tribune came to light in May 2008 during a state inspection of Rothner’s Sheridan Shores Care & Rehabilitation Center on the North Side. Three “alert and oriented” women described “the fear they were experiencing at night time” when they awoke to find strange men in their rooms, sometimes standing over their beds, according to the state inspection report.

One woman said: “It scared me to death!” Another recounted staving off “2 attempted rapes during the night when male residents entered her room using the stairwell,” the state report said. A facility investigation confirmed one woman’s allegation about a male intruder standing over her bed, but Sheridan Shores’ administrator denied to state investigators knowledge of any attempted rape.

Nursing home raids net 8 arrests

Chicago Tribune 1/27/2010
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-met-nursing-home-raids-20100126-story.html [5]

Excerpts:
For the second time in five weeks, authorities on Tuesday swept two Chicago-area nursing homes for residents with outstanding arrest warrants, this time identifying 20 people wanted on charges ranging from assault to domestic battery to indecent exposure.

 


Overall

Ten worst owners

The Chicago Reporter 7/1/09
http://www.chicagoreporter.com/ten-worst-owners/ [6]

Excerpt:
The Chicago Reporter analyzed ownership and ratings data for 482 of the state’s nearly 800 nursing homes to identify the 10 nursing home owners in Illinois with at least a 5 percent stake in the highest number of 1-star-rated homes.

Rothners owned 4 of the top 10 worst nursing homes.

A report about Hunter Management, a firm owned by William “Avi” Rothner’s father, Eric Rothner, with whom Avi contracts and also works for. Also, Eric Rothner is one of the principals on the bid to purchase CCNH and we received a letter of recommendations for him (based on financials, not quality of care).:
http://media.graytvinc.com/documents/Hunter+Management+Report.pdf [7]

A failure to protect

Chicago Tribune 9/30/09
http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/chi-nursing-home-screening-30sep30-story.html [8]

Note: Article mentions several nursing homes owned by Rothners, including Greenwood Care.

Excerpt:
With growing numbers of mentally ill felons entering Illinois nursing homes, the state in 2006 became the first to require criminal background checks as part of an overall risk assessment of new residents. The screenings by state contractors are used to identify high-risk individuals who should live in private rooms and be closely monitored.

But a review of confidential reports in 45 recent cases shows that in many instances the assessments were incomplete, leaving out some criminal convictions and other crucial details.

Typical of the incomplete assessments was the May 2008 report on John Pittman, 45. The state’s evaluation acknowledged many of his convictions for drug trafficking, violating restraining orders and domestic battery but cleared Pittman as a moderate risk, noting that staffers at Evanston’s Greenwood Care nursing home “do not view him as a threat for future violence.”

The screening report failed to mention that a year earlier in a sister facility, Pittman allegedly had stabbed a resident named Troy Warfield in the face with an ice pick — or that the victim was also now living at Greenwood Care.

Just before dawn on May 14, 2008 — the morning after Pittman’s screening report was completed — police say he struck again, slashing the same man with a box cutter.

 

 

St. James

Son alleges wrongful death in mother’s nursing home treatment [9]

The County Record 8/26/15

Link: https://cookcountyrecord.com/stories/510635220-son-alleges-wrongful-death-in-mother-s-nursing-home-treatment

Excerpt:

According to the complaint, in October 2013, McVea was admitted to St. James for nursing and rehabilitative care. The suit says the defendant failed to assess McVea’s risk for pressure sores and neglected to provide adequate care and treatment.

As a result, the suit states she developed multiple pressure sores on her lower extremities requiring debridement. The lawsuit states the injuries caused the deterioration of her overall physical and mental condition. McVea died Sept. 26, 2014.

 

South Suburban Rehabilitation Center

 

Link: https://health.usnews.com/best-nursing-homes/area/il/south-suburban-rehabilitation-center-146132

 

Excerpt:

Penalties

This nursing home paid 1 fine in the last three years totaling $56,388. This home was denied Medicare or Medicaid payments by the government on 2014-09-10.

 

 

Beecher Manor

Estate blames nursing care facility for patient’s death [10]

Cook County Record 5/29/16

Link: https://cookcountyrecord.com/stories/510704254-estate-blames-nursing-care-facility-for-patient-s-death

 

Excerpt:

According to the complaint, between March 31-April 23, 2014, Duranczyk developed a pressure ulcer that progressed to more serious infectious stages. The plaintiff alleges the defendant failed to provide treatment and services properly as for pressure ulcer prevention. Duranczyk died May 14, 2014.

 

Parkhouse Rehabilitation Center

Park House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, others sued for patient’s death [11]

Link: https://cookcountyrecord.com/stories/511308504-park-house-nursing-and-rehabilitation-center-others-sued-for-patient-s-deat

 

Excerpt:

Glendolyn Spencer, independent administrator of the estate of James Palmer, filed a complaint on Dec. 28 in Cook County Circuit Court, alleging the defendants failed to keep Palmer’s Depakote levels within the therpeutic range, which allegedly resulted in a seizure, fall and respiratory failure. The plaintiff holds the defendants responsible for allegedly failing to properly monitor Palmer’s condition and provide the necessary treatment.

 

More Lawsuits

 

There are too many lawsuits to research and post, regarding nursing homes operated by Rothners.

 

To learn about other lawsuits, you can go here:

 

https://blawgsearch.justia.com/search?query=ROTHNER&x=0&y=0 [12]

 

 

Grasmere Place

Inspection was no surprise to nursing home

Chicago Tribune 9/1/10

 

Link:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-met-inspection-leaks-20100901-story.html [13]

 

Excerpt:

When a team of law enforcement officials arrived at the Grasmere Place nursing home in Uptown for the surprise “Operation Guardian” sweep on July 22, facility administrator Celeste Jensen was waiting for them in the lobby. “What took you so long?” Jensen asked.

 

Under questioning by authorities with the state attorney general’s office, Jensen said she had been warned of the impending sweep by a city official whose job was to safeguard elderly and disabled people in nursing homes, according to two sources who discussed the case on condition that they not be identified.

 

Officials expressed outrage at the alleged leaking of the sweep. Grasmere was fully staffed and bustling with painters and carpenters, said the attorney general’s deputy chief of staff, Cara Smith, and state long-term care ombudsman Sally Petrone, who both took part in the raid.

 

When officials returned to Grasmere for an unannounced follow-up sweep on the night of Aug. 16, there was less staff and the facility was in less pristine condition, according to Smith. “What we experienced was literally night and day,” she said.

 

A roughly 200-bed facility at Sheridan Road and Wilson Avenue, Grasmere specializes in treating and housing people with mental illness. The for-profit center has been operated by companies controlled by nursing home magnate Eric Rothner.

 

Court records examined by the Tribune show chronic illegal drug use by some Grasmere residents. At least four residents have been convicted of felony drug charges while living at the facility since 2007, and numerous others have been arrested for drug crimes, retail theft and other charges, the court records show.

 

Despite the alleged tipoff of the July 22 sweep, Petrone said authorities still found problems at Grasmere. Going room to room visiting residents, Petrone’s ombudsmen staff found “a lot of them seemed overmedicated,” she said.

 

In addition, Petrone said, the ombudsmen identified at least half a dozen residents — many of them younger adults — who appeared capable of living in less institutionalized settings.

Drugmaker Paid Psychiatrist Nearly $500,000 to Promote Antipsychotic, Despite Doubts About Research

ProPublica 11/11/09

 

Link: https://www.propublica.org/article/reinstein-seroquel-astrazeneca-chicago-1111

 

Excerpt:

Executives inside pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca faced a high-stakes dilemma.

 

On one hand, Chicago psychiatrist Dr. Michael Reinstein was bringing the company a small fortune in sales and was conducting research that made one of its most promising drugs look spectacular.

 

On the other, some worried that his research findings might be too good to be true.

 

Putting aside its concerns, AstraZeneca would continue its relationship with Reinstein, paying him $490,000 over a decade to travel the nation promoting its best-selling antipsychotic drug, Seroquel. In return, Reinstein provided the company a vast customer base: thousands of indigent, mentally ill residents in Chicago-area nursing homes.

 

 

Health professionals who have encountered Reinstein have had similar concerns. When he gave promotional presentations about various medications at Grasmere Place nursing home in Chicago, case manager Staci Burton recalled that she was pleased to get free lunches. But she said she wondered why Reinstein put his patients on twice as many drugs as other psychiatrists who treated residents.

 

“I was thinking, `Why are you using so many medications?’ ” Burton, who worked at the facility from 2004 to 2006, said in an interview. “(His patients) would have symptoms, they’d have all these side effects, and their doctor was not listening.”

 

State investigates alleged tip-off of nursing home

Chicago Defender 9/2/10

 

Link: https://chicagodefender.com/2010/09/02/state-investigates-alleged-tip-off-of-nursing-home/ [14]

 

Excerpt:

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan said Thursday she has taken steps to make sure nursing homes aren’t tipped off to surprise raids aimed at increasing residents’ safety. Madigan told The Associated Press that her office is clamping down on leaks that could give nursing homes time to bring in more staff and spruce up living conditions before investigators arrive. “We’re not going to let these leaks happen, and if they do happen we’re going to show up at your nursing home again,” Madigan said. The attorney general’s office is investigating whether someone tipped off a Chicago nursing home to an impending and supposedly unannounced visit, Madigan said. The Chicago Tribune first reported the investigation Thursday. She said the investigation was prompted by a July visit to Grasmere Place, where a facility administrator met officials in the nursing home’s lobby, looked at her watch and said: “What took you so long? I heard you were going to be here a lot earlier.” A return visit weeks later found fewer staff and worse conditions, Madigan said. “They went back at night and it was a very different situation,” Madigan said. “It wasn’t clean, residents were milling about, there were toilets overflowing.”

 

 

 

Rothner’s Somerset nursing home in Chicago, Illinois shut down:

 

Deadline set to close Chicago nursing home

Illinois authorities said they plan to shut Somerset Place, one of the state’s largest nursing homes, by Friday

 

Chicago Tribune 3/9/10

 

Link: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-03-09/news/ct-met-nursing-home-reform-20100308_1_care-centers-nursing-transfers [15]

 

Excerpt:

State authorities said Monday that they plan to shut one of the state’s largest nursing homes by Friday and are working to transfer out the remaining 76 residents.

Medicaid funding to Uptown’s troubled Somerset Place facility is being cut off, and the state health department has moved to revoke Somerset’s license after repeated inspections that found violence, abuse and mistreatment of residents.

Eric Rothner, who through companies and family trusts has an ownership stake or consulting role in Somerset and more than a dozen Illinois nursing facilities, declined to comment.

 

The facility’s impending closing comes four months after one of Rothner’s former nursing home management firms, Care Centers Inc., declared bankruptcy amid more than three dozen personal-injury and medical-malpractice lawsuits. Care Centers helped manage Somerset, state records show, and Rothner was owner until the bankruptcy.

Chicago nursing homes: Slaying of nursing-home resident in nearby motel shows how violence can spill into neighborhoods

Chicago Tribune 12/1/09

 

Link:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/chi-uptown-edgewaterdec01-story.html [16]

 

Excerpt:

 

She was a beautiful woman with broad cheekbones and an easy smile. But drug addiction dragged Maratta Walker into a life of prostitution and violence.

 

By last year the 45-year-old had been arrested more than 35 times for crimes ranging from crack cocaine possession to slashing three people with a razor blade.

 

Still, because she was diagnosed with schizophrenia and suffered debilitating seizures, Walker qualified for Medicaid [17]-funded housing in the Somerset Place nursing home in Uptown.

 

Before she was admitted to the massive, 450-bed facility on North Sheridan Road last year, a probation officer noted hopefully that “her mental and physical conditions can be monitored at all times.”

 

Somerset, 5009 N. Sheridan, placed Walker on a “pass restriction,” meaning she was not supposed to leave without being accompanied by staff or a family member, a state report said. But shortly after 9 p.m. on May 8, 2008, she strolled onto the streets alone.

 

Twelve days later, her decomposed body was found in a nearby motel room. Police say a paroled bank robber beat Walker to death after the two met on the streets and launched a days-long binge of drinking, sex and crack-smoking and heroin use.

 

“I was so angry and hurt — I was outraged,” said Walker’s sister Caroline. “All they had to do is keep her on restriction. … I don’t know how they let her get out. There needs to be something done about it.”

IDPH to Close Chicago, Illinois Nursing Home

Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog by Levin & Perconti 3/10/10

 

Link:

https://blog.levinperconti.com/2010/03/chicago_nursing_home_to_close_1.html [18]

 

Excerpt:

According to the Chicago Tribune, Somerset Place [19] in Chicago will officially close on Friday, and the state must transfer Somerset’s remaining residents. The closure comes after Medicaid funding was cut off and the Illinois Department of Public Health revoked Somerset’s funding after inspections revealed rampant nursing home abuse and neglect [20]. Somerset Place nursing home has received attention in the media due to an investigation by the Tribune into alleged abuse and neglect at the nursing home. The population at Somerset Place is entirely made up of residents suffering from mental illnesses.

 

Eric Rothner owns a number of nursing homes throughout Illinois, including the management company Care Centers, Inc. Care Centers declared bankruptcy recently, but was managing Somerset up until bankruptcy was declared. Care Centers, Inc. is the subject of a number of nursing home abuse and neglect lawsuits, however it is questionable whether the victims will ever see compensation. The company still owes $400,000 to a former employee after a jury found that Care Centers denied her leave benefits.

 

Despite this debt, the Tribune reports that Rothner received payments of $900,000 from Care Centers, Inc. in the year before the management company filed for bankruptcy. A judge called this a “deliberate attempt to conceal and divert assets to avoid paying the judgment.”

 

Concord Extended Care (Eric Rothner)

Nursing home may lose license

State says resident wandered off twice

Chicago Tribune 1/30/04

 

Link:

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2004-01-30/news/0401300252_1_nursing-home-officials-health-department-facility [21]

 

Excerpt:

 

State health officials are seeking to revoke the license of an Oak Lawn nursing home that they contend failed twice in seven months to prevent an elderly man from leaving the facility unsupervised.

 

The Illinois Department of Public Health announced Thursday its intention to take the action against Concord Extended Care, 9401 S. Ridgeland Ave. Officials said they also intend to fine the 134-bed facility $15,000.

 

Though fines against nursing homes for violating state regulations are not uncommon, license revocation is, Leonard said.

 

“It just doesn’t happen very often here in Illinois, only about one a year on average,” Leonard said. “Obviously, it’s something we only do as a last step because of the inconvenience caused by having to move residents to other facilities.”

 

Leonard said department investigators determined the facility failed to implement measures ordered last year to closely monitor residents who tend to walk off and neglected to make sure staff thoroughly searched both inside and outside the home whenever a resident disappeared.

 

 

 

 

Extended Care’s Northlake, IN nursing home shut down:

Nursing home closing appealed

Emergency hearing likely this month for M’ville facility that lost license

Nwi.com 2/9/10

Link: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/nursing-home-closing-appealed/article_89499cf0-dec2-5755-b198-803e1fecd402.html [22]

 

Excerpt:

 

“In signing the order, the Health Department’s Long Term Care Division Director Kim Rhoades and Indiana Assistant Health Commissioner Terry Whitson cited Northlake’s failure to maintain its license and the results of a Dec. 16 survey that found substandard quality of care and patients in immediate jeopardy at the facility.”

 

Indiana closes trouble nursing home

Link:

http://www.wdrb.com/story/11927367/indiana-closes-troubled-nursing-home [23]

 

Excerpt:

The Indiana State Department of Health has ordered the North Lake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a troubled Merrillville nursing home, to begin finding new homes for its 98 residents.

The state issued the emergency order Monday, the day after North Lake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center’s third consecutive 90-day probationary license expired.

A Dec. 16 survey alleged substandard care at the nursing home.

The health agency also denied an attempt to sell North Lake to an Illinois group that owns eight nursing homes that also are rated poorly by state and federal agencies.

Assistant Health Commissioner Terry Whitson says the only way North Lake can remain open is if ownership changes and a new license is obtained.

 

Munster Med-Inn – Indiana

 

Link: https://health.usnews.com/best-nursing-homes/area/in/munster-medical-inn-155131 [24]

 

Excerpt:

Overview

Munster Medical-Inn in Munster, IN, has an overall rating of Poor. It is a very large facility with 225 beds and has nonprofit, other ownership.

Sebo’s Nursing & Rehabilitation Center – Hobart, IN

Former head of Hobart nursing home hit with state suit

nwi.com 1/8/01

 

Link: http://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/former-head-of-hobart-nursing-home-hit-with-state-suit/article_29cfdc5d-10a4-5678-8bdf-9003eebc3803.html [25]

 

Excerpt:

The former head administrator at Sebo’s Nursing and Rehabilitation Center no longer holds the top job at the Hobart facility, but she was slapped with a lawsuit last week by outgoing Indiana Attorney General Karen Freeman-Wilson for problems that occurred on her watch.

 

Justine Truchan, who could not be reached for comment Friday, ran the facility when state health inspectors visited in June 1999 and found “numerous serious deficiencies and health risks,” the suit states. While Truchan is no longer in charge, she holds another administrative position at Sebo’s, a staff member said last week.

 

State health inspectors who visited Sebo’s from June 2 to 11, 1999, found staff “failed to notify the physician and family relative of a resident’s elopement” as well as “wandering residents in restricted areas and unsecured grounds,” the complaint said.

 

Staff also “failed to ensure the environment was free of all hazards.”

 

The surveyors decided Sebo’s “provided substandard quality of care and posed an immediate jeopardy to its residents, (and) failed to devise, maintain or implement policies or procedures to avoid the above-described deficiencies.”

 

On a follow-up visit Aug. 23, 1999, inspectors found staff “failed to follow physicians orders as written relative to oxygen use” for a resident, failed to tell family a resident’s condition had changed “significantly,” failed to provide ongoing treatment and assessment of another resident, and failed to supervise a resident wearing a “wander guard.”

 

 

 

 

Hillcrest Nursing & Rehabilitation Center (Eric Rothner)

Man’s Family Sues Joliet Nursing Home After Assault By Other Patient

CBS Chicago 3/1/12

 

Link: http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/03/21/mans-family-sues-joliet-nursing-home-after-assault-by-other-patient/ [26]

 

Excerpt:

JOLIET, Ill. (CBS) — The family of a Joliet nursing home resident is suing the facility, alleging it failed to prevent the abuse of as many as two dozen patients.

 

As WBBM Newsradio’s Regine Schlesinger reports, the lawsuit was filed by the family of William A. Kahle, 47, a mentally impaired man who lived at the Hillcrest Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.

 

Levin said Illinois state records show the resident involved in Kahle’s case had sexually, physically or verbally assaulted as many as two dozen residents of the home.

 

In September 2011, Kahle, who had been there for more than a year at the time, was allegedly burned by another resident and the nursing home failed to report the incident to Department of Public Health. Kahle’s father, William W. Kahle, filed a complaint with that agency that reportedly found another resident was responsible for assaulting nearly two dozen others.

 

“The (IDPH) investigation also revealed that between May and October a 26-year-old male who suffers from bipolar disorder and ADHD, sexually physically or mentally abused at least 23 other residents,” Kahle’s attorney, Steven M. Levin, said.

 

Previously, Hillcrest settled a lawsuit with the family who had died of alleged negligence at the facility in 1999, the Joliet-Herald News reported via the Sun-Times Media Wire.

 

In 2001, two patients – Christopher Matejka and Jason Richey – used passes to leave the grounds and ended up stabbing another man, Henri “Jay” Baker – to death in his apartment in Homer Glen, the wire reported.

 

 

 

 

Elmwood Care (Eric Rothner)

Nursing homes a risky business

Chicago Tribune 10/1/09

 

Link:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/chi-nursing-home-businessoct01-story.html

 

Excerpt:

 

Elmwood Care in west suburban Elmwood Park, which specializes in residents with physical ailments, has been cited nine times by state authorities since January 2008 for “immediate jeopardy” infractions. No other Illinois facility accumulated as many such citations in that time period, records show.

 

In one instance, a woman was held with restraints in her wheelchair for more than two hours, then returned to her room “soaked in urine,” according to a state report. Inspectors also alleged the facility was inappropriately using an antipsychotic drug as a chemical restraint on two hard-to-handle patients.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Altitude Health

 

 

Tuscon (Pima County), AZ – county nursing home bought by Rothner (formerly Posada del Sol; now Foothills Rehabiliation Center

 

Under-Sold?

Pima County’s sale of its nursing home is raising numerous eyebrows

 

Link: https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/under-sold/Content?oid=3151439 [27]

 

This article seems to indicate that Pima County used the same broker as Champaing County – Marcus & Millichap – and there were some concerns, given the primacy of the Rothner bid, compared to other bids.

 

What happened with Posada Del Sol, Pima County’s nursing home?

Posada del Sol is sold to private operator

Pima.gov

Link: http://www.pima.gov/depts/posada.html [28]

Pima County’s nursing home was sold in 2012

Rothner was the buyer:

County’s sale of nursing home prompts suit

Arizona Daily Star 11/18/11

Link: http://tucson.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/county-s-sale-of-nursing-home-prompts-suit/article_093136be-649e-513d-8a6f-6fd823c35706.html [29]

And the home was denied Medicare or Medicaid payments by the government in 2016:
“Penalties:
This nursing home paid 1 fine in the last three years totaling $9,230. This home was denied Medicare or Medicaid payments by the government on 2016-02-19.”
https://health.usnews.com/best-nursing-homes/area/az/foothills-rehabilitation-center-035064 [30]

 

 

 

 

Devon Gables nursing home – Tuscon, AZ

 

Devon Gables lawsuit settled

Arisona Daily Star 4/24/10

 

Link:

http://tucson.com/news/science/health-med-fit/devon-gables-lawsuit-settled/article_fe85eca5-112a-55fe-9491-8a85f129dc09.html [31]

 

Excerpt:

The lawsuit said Havens’ mother, longtime Tucsonan Irma Smith, was neglected by staff at Devon Gables, 6150 E. Grant Road, when she was a resident there.

Smith was admitted July 9, 2006, and remained there until Aug. 27, 2006, the day she fell face-down from a wheelchair while left unattended by Devon Gables staff, Bossie told a jury when the trial began in Pima County Superior Court April 13.

Smith died in hospice on Sept. 7, 2006, after developing sepsis from a severely infected pressure sore, according to court testimony.

 

Ridgecrest Rehabilitation Center – Omaha, NE

 

Link:

http://dhhs.ne.gov/publichealth/Licensure/Documents/DANReportFeb18.pdf [32]

 

Excerpt:

The facility failed to identify significant weight loss and failed to implement interventions to prevent weight loss for four residents. The facility also failed to identify the development of a pressure ulcer, evaluate causal factors and implement interventions for pressure ulcers.

 

 

 

 

Villa at Lincoln Park – Racine, WI

 

Link:

https://health.usnews.com/best-nursing-homes/area/wi/villa-at-lincoln-park-525061 [33]

 

Excerpt:

Penalties

This nursing home paid 3 fine in the last three years totaling $22,588. This home was denied Medicare or Medicaid payments by the government on 2016-11-19.

Ridgewood buyer says company ‘in compliance’ despite violations

The Journal Times 12/24/16

 

Link:

http://journaltimes.com/news/local/ridgewood-buyer-says-company-in-compliance-despite-violations/article_8df11b70-acdb-55e5-96ea-491ee9f78a9c.html [34]

 

Excerpt:

RACINE — The future owner of Ridgewood Care Center says it is “in compliance” with federal and state requirements at its Racine nursing home, despite 20 federal citations issued after an October inspection.

Problems at the Villa at Lincoln Park, 1700 C.A. Becker Drive, emerged Tuesday as the Racine County Board debated selling Ridgewood to that nursing home’s owner, Illinois-based Villa Healthcare.

While the board ultimately approved the sale 13-7, several supervisors who had supported a sale up to that point instead voted in opposition in light of the violations, which County Board Chairman Russell Clark called “disturbing.”

The most serious citation, the report stated, was related to improper treatment of pressure sores, or bed sores. Two residents were put in “immediate jeopardy” of serious injury, harm or death, according to the report.

In one of the cases, a resident developed a pressure injury that deteriorated, but the facility did not reassess the injury, consult with a physician or revise the resident’s care plan, according to the report.

The resident “was hospitalized and surgery was (performed) which resulted in a right above the knee amputation,” officials wrote in the report.

 

 

 

Legislator: Rothner Is Wrong Choice For County Home

The Post-General 2/14/13

 

Link: http://www.post-journal.com/opinion/local-commentaries/2013/02/legislator-rothner-is-wrong-choice-for-county-home/ [35]

 

Excerpt:

I will not, however, concede to the current and only purchase-bidder, Avi Rothner. I will not turn a blind eye or just hope for the best with him, despite his family business’ reputation. I will not forget why I became involved in public service to begin with. I will not stop doing the job I was elected to do to research, deliberate and provide due diligence. Like my grandmother, I will not quit. I will not stop fighting for what’s right.

Avi Rothner is not the right choice.

Let’s consider the information that has been presented.

There are numerous instances that should give us pause. For example, a Rothner nursing home in Northlake, IN that the federal government labeled as “one of the worst nursing homes in the country” was ordered to be shut-down in May of 2010. Or take another example, in which a 2012 Chicago Tribune article attributed patient violence to staff shortages at Rainbow Beach, another facility in which Mr. Rothner is a trust holder.

There are excessive fines assessed by the State of Illinois ranging from $10,000-$55,000 on twenty-four Rothner homes, three of which list Mr. Rothner as part-owner, and dozens of pages of violations recorded by Medicaid and Medicare inspectors from several nursing homes where he is part-owner.

 

Jamestown, NY twice votes not to sell to William “Avi” Rothner. Broker was also Marcus & Millichap (the same broker for Champaign County):

MORNING NEWS: Altitude Health Services, Inc. Pulled from Consideration as County Home Buyer

WRFA 3/4/13

 

Link: http://www.wrfalp.com/morning-news-altitude-health-services-inc-pulled-from-consideration-as-county-home-buyer/ [36]

 

NOTE: There are related stories on this page, besides the main story.
Excerpt:

 

MAYVILLE – The Jamestown Post-Journal reported over the weekend that the Chicago-based company that initially wanted to purchase the county home will no longer be considered as a buyer.

According to an article in Saturday’s Post-Journal, the offer that was submitted by William “Avi” Rothner – the owner of Altitude Health Services Inc. – is no longer being considered. The offer called for purchasing the home at a cost of $16.5 million and also meeting 14 different terms of sale that were laid out by the county legislature.

The article also said that County executive Greg Edwards will again be working with the marketing firm Marcus and Millichap to seek other offers for the home.

The news of Rothner no longer being considered comes after the county legislature twice voted against selling the county home to him. The first vote in January was 16 to 9, while the second vote in February was 15 to 9.

 

This is a video of Avi Rothner responding to questions posed by the Chautauqua County board in NY State in 2013.  They eventually voted down two separate bids by Rothner and eventually decided to not take bids from him and sold to a different company.  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5VxjVCnUPs [37]

 

 

 

 

 

Issues with whether Eric Rothner pay his bills, or whether he gets out of debt by using complicated financial and legal corporate structures and maneuvers:

 

Omnicare Sues Nursing Homes

Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog 9/4/14

 

Link: https://blog.levinperconti.com/2014/09/omnicare_sues_nursing_homes.html [38]
Excerpt:

 

“Omnicare Inc. recently filed suit in Illinois against nursing home facilities owned and operated by Eric A. Rothner for failing to pay for purchase contracts. These purchase contracts apparently include Omnicare’s supply of medications, supplies and other nursing home-related services for the relevant facilities, some of which Mr. Rothner has asserted he no longer controls. The company, however, has argued that rather than no longer failing under his ownership or control, some of these facilities simply have changed ownership to other entities owned by Mr. Rothner in an attempt to avoid paying outstanding debts they owe to Omnicare.”

 

Omnicare Sues Nursing Home Owner Over Alleged $28M Debt

Law360 8/11/14

 

Link: https://www.law360.com/articles/565994/omnicare-sues-nursing-home-owner-over-alleged-28m-debt [39]

 

Excerpt:

“Eric A. Rothner and dozens of nursing homes that he owns or controls have been ‘consistently delinquent’ in paying Omnicare, violating a host of purchase contracts between the parties, the Des Plaines, Illinois-based pharmacy company alleges in a complaint filed in Cook County Circuit Court.”