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Eileen Durkin was appointed to the State's Nursing Home Review Panel
Posted: 12/22/2010
State nursing-home panel weighs safeguards for disabled kids
December 22, 2010 Stepping up their push to increase safeguards for children with disabilities, state officials and local advocates today discussed increasing fines and limiting admissions for facilities that repeatedly neglect residents with developmental issues.
"You would start regulating yourself if you knew that no more business was going to come in the door until you cleaned up your act," said Eileen Durkin, president and CEO of Neumann Family Services.
The panel assembled by Gov. Pat Quinn is preparing legislation after a Tribune investigation that documented a series of violations and deaths over 10 years at a North Side nursing facility. Michael Gelder, Quinn's senior health policy adviser, is leading the effort and said legislation is expected as early as March.
Facilities for people with disabilities were left out of sweeping nursing-home reforms the legislature passed this year. The panel is reviewing those laws to determine how they could apply to such homes.
It's also considering new ideas, such as limiting admissions at troubled facilities and raising fines when facility employees mislead state investigators. On Tuesday, the Tribune reported that facilities caring for people with disabilities have escaped serious penalties despite the deaths of children on their watch.
"There's got to be, to me, a sort of two-way punishment," said Durkin, whose organization provides programs to disabled people. "One is a pretty hefty fine, and the other is - until all the things are cured - you can't bring more people into the facility."
The panel is considering adding a new penalty in cases where a facility is found to have caused a death, which state officials and advocates said also would provide valuable information to the public.
"From the public's perspective, in terms of where you want your child, for example, identifying deaths is a very big deal," said Wendy Meltzer, executive director of Illinois Citizens for Better Care.
But Michael Bibo of the Center for Developmental Disabilities Advocacy and Community Supports, which represents facilities for people with disabilities, said that although fines might need to be raised, state officials haven?t taken advantage of current enforcement measures.
"The department has not used the tools at its disposal," Bibo said.
State officials disputed that and said the state needs strong authority to ensure that homes fulfill their responsibilities.
"We want to raise the bar," Gelder said. "We have a double approach that we hope will give the nursing home owners the message that they've got to run facilities that meet our standards and will give the state the enforcement mechanism and the penalties to make sure that they do."
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The Berghoff hosted Thanksgiving dinner for Neumann Family Services
Posted: 12/1/2010
Carlyn Berghoff and over 80 volunteers served Thanksgiving to over 200 from Neumann Family Services!
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The Berghoff to host Thanksgiving for Neumann Family Services
Posted: 11/16/2010
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Everyone Counts in 2010 Census
Posted: 3/22/2010
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Non-profit Finds Niche with Online Resale Shop
Posted: 2/11/2010
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Rob Johnson - End the R Word
Posted: 2/5/2010
Please check out this segment by Rob Johnson of CBS Chicago.
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Medill School Story
Posted: 11/19/2009
Director of Community Relations featured with her family.
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Governor & Shriver to be Feted at Neumann Family Services 60th Anniversary Gala
Posted: 10/10/2009
CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn and Anthony Shriver, son of the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, will be honored with Victor Awards at the October 10 gala celebrating the 60th Anniversary of Chicago's Neumann Family Services.
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Neumann's eBay Store Featured on ABC7
Posted: 10/2/2008
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Hidden Treasures
Posted: 3/21/2008
Onine resale shop provides adults with disabilities meaningful work.
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