DeKalb Times

State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) recently used a Senate Health Committee hearing to grill Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) officials about a report detailing the agency’s direction.

“One of the questions on the report is the department had mentioned that Illinois is dead last with staffing,” Syverson quizzed Deputy Director of the Office of Healthcare Regulation at the Illinois Department of Public Health Becky Dragoo. “On page 7 of the review that staffing is similar to peer states but below Illinois mandates. Can you help me justify where the report says similar while the department says we’re dead last?”

Dragoo responded that nursing home staffing, is different from department staffing.

IDPH recently announced an independent review of its Bureau of Long-Term Care in the Office of Health Care Regulation that was prompted by a slowed investigation of abuse and neglect complaints during the COVID-19 pandemic. The review is being handled by Manatt Health Strategies, LLC, with the company focusing on devising a plan that moves toward ensuring proper licensure and oversight activities by the Bureau of Long-Term Care.

As part of the process, IDPH has hired former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, A. Courtney Cox to oversee complaints made concerning long-term care facilities during the COVID crisis.

With the independent review being launched in response to IDPH's recent discovery that the Bureau of Long-Term Care was not properly processing and investigating complaints of abuse and neglect at long-term care facilities from approximately March 15 to June 30, 2020, Syverson also questioned Dragoo about training standards and if staffers are being schooled in the same practices.

“From a layman’s standpoint … if you have one division or facility that is losing when the others are winning are you more likely to close that facility that is losing and does that ultimately result on the closure of facilities in areas that need it the most?” he asked. “We can talk to the associations on how this could impact when you have a particular loser in a branch. That would be one concern.”

IDPH officials said they took immediate action to make sure all the complaints that came their way over the time frame in question have been investigated. IDPH said it also took appropriate personnel action.

"Our top priority as a regulator of long-term care facilities in Illinois is ensuring vulnerable Illinoisans are kept safe by those responsible for their care," said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. "Anything short of that is unacceptable, and our entire department is committed to getting this right as we move forward. Working with independent experts, we are simultaneously conducting a full and thorough review of our previous work and revamping our Bureau of Long-Term Care to better serve the people of Illinois."

According to IDPH data, the agency has conducted complaint investigations for 272 allegations of abuse and neglect that had been received between March 15 and June 30.