Maplewood Care, Inc. v. Arnold

2013 IL App (1st) 120602

991 N.E.2d 1

371 Ill.Dec. 914

MAPLEWOOD CARE, INC., an Illinois Corporation, Plaintiff–Appellant,

v.Damon T. ARNOLD, M.D., M.P.H., Director of the Department of Public Health; The Department of Public Health, and Teresa Garate, Assistant Director, the Department of Public Health, Defendants–Appellees.

Docket No. 1–12–0602.

Appellate Court of Illinois, First District, Fourth Division.

May 9, 2013.

John T. Schriver, of Duane Morris LLP, of Chicago, and Sarah Barrish, of Lincolnwood, for appellant.

Lisa Madigan, Attorney General, of Chicago (Michael A. Scodro, Solicitor General, and Paul Racette, Assistant Attorney General, of counsel), for appellees.

OPINION

Justice PUCINSKI delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion.

¶ 1 BACKGROUND

¶ 2 The present case arises from a finding by the Illinois Department of Public Health (Department) that Maplewood Care Inc. (Maplewood), a nursing facility in Elgin, Illinois, had failed to properly conduct a background check and supervise a 21–year–old resident with a criminal record (R3), which resulted in the rape of a 69–year–old resident (R2). Maplewood had submitted an incorrect birth date for R3 and thus did not obtain R3's criminal history. Under the Nursing Home Care Act (Act) (210 ILCS 45/1–101 et seq. (West 2008)) and the Skilled Nursing and IntermediateCare Facilities Code (77 Ill. Adm.Code 300), nursing homes are required to perform a criminal background check on all its residents. If the background check reveals that the resident is a registered sex offender or on parole or probation for a felony offense, the facility is required to notify the Department. The Department then issues a “Criminal History Analysis report” (CHAR) containing its risk analysis regarding the resident. The facility is then required to fashion an appropriate care plan for the resident in compliance with the Act and the regulations under the Skilled Nursing and Intermediate Care Facilities Code. Here, because Maplewood supplied an incorrect birth date for R3, it did not receive R3's criminal history, and thus never notified the Department so that the Department could issue a CHAR for use in Maplewood's care plan for R3. Subsequently, R3 raped R2.

¶ 3 On April 15, 2009, the Department issued a notice to Maplewood that it had committed “Type A” violations and “Type B” violations of the Act and the Department's regulations. The Department's notice of violation stated that Maplewood committed violations of the following provisions of the Skilled Nursing and Intermediate Care Facilities Code (77 Ill. Adm.Code 300): (1) a Type B violation of section 300.620(d)(3) (77 Ill. Adm.Code 300.620(d)(3) (2007) (prohibiting a facility from admitting or keeping a resident who is an identified offender without properly requesting a criminal background check)); (2) a Type A violation of section 300.1210(a) (77 Ill. Adm.Code 300.1210(a), amended at 23 Ill. Reg. 8106 (eff. July 15, 1999) (requiring a facility to provide necessary care and service to its residents)); and (3) a Type A violation of section 300.3240(a) (77 Ill. Adm.Code 300.3240(a) (1991) (prohibiting neglect of residents)). The Department had also included in its notice of violation a Type B violation of section 300.615(g) (77 Ill. Adm.Code 300.615(g), amended at 30 Ill. Reg. 5213 (eff. Mar. 2, 2006) (setting forth the procedural requirements for conducting background checks on all new admissions and reporting to the Department)). However, the Department later withdrew this violation of section 300.615(g). The Department issued a conditional six-month license, fined Maplewood $20,000, and placed Maplewood on a quarterly list of violators of the Act. Maplewood requested an evidentiary hearing to contest the notice of violations.

¶ 4 In support of its notice of violations, the Department called two witnesses at the hearing, Vicki Hill, a Maplewood psychiatric rehabilitation specialists coordinator, who was R3's caseworker, and Jamie Lloyd, Maplewood's administrator. Maplewood called one witness, Mark Thompson, its former social service director and assistant administrator. The following facts were adduced at the administrative hearing:

¶ 5 R3 was first admitted to Maplewood in April 2008 because he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder with aggression and a history of polysubstance abuse and needed structure and supervision. R3 reported to the staff that he had attempted suicide 10 or more times and had been hospitalized 18 or 19 times. Maplewood requested a criminal background check on R3 from the Illinois State Police. The background check revealed convictions for aggravated battery with a weapon, aggravated battery, domestic battery, driving without a license, and false report of an offense. R3 had been sentenced to two years in prison for the aggravated-battery-with-a-weapon conviction and to lesser punishments for the other convictions. After serving his sentence, R3 was placed on probation. R3 also had a physical altercation with another resident at his first nursing home placement.As required, Maplewood submitted the background check results to the Department for the Department to make a risk assessment of R3. The Department is then supposed to issue a CHAR back to the facility.

¶ 6 While the CHAR from the Department was pending, based on the results of the background check, Maplewood also classified R3's risk for its own internal purposes. R3 was assigned Vicki Hill as his caseworker, with whom he met weekly. Hill, along with a team of clinical professionals at Maplewood, developed a care plan for R3 which included R3's criminal history and history of aggression, with interventions that would be followed in the event R3 exhibited aggressive or violent behavior at Maplewood.

¶ 7 Thompson testified that he was aware of R3's criminal background and classified R3 as “medium” risk. Thompson testified that of the 12 times he had submitted criminal histories to the Department, he had never seen the Department classify any resident as “high” risk. Thompson reviewed and agreed with Maplewood's care plan for R3.

¶ 8 Almost immediately after his admission to Maplewood in April 2008, R3 exhibited behavioral and criminal problems. On May 1, 2008, R3 smoked marijuana with other residents. On May 7, R3 borrowed another resident's vehicle and left the facility. An officer attempted to pull over R3 for a traffic violation but R3 fled and returned to Maplewood. The police followed R3 to Maplewood and took him into custody for violating his probation. Maplewood discharged R3 that same day. At the time, Maplewood had not yet received the CHAR from the Department regarding R3. Thereafter, no Department CHAR was received due to R3's discharge.

¶ 9 In summer 2008, R3 was admitted to a different facility, All Faith Nursing Home, which also requested a background check on R3. This background check included all the previous convictions as well as the recent charges for fleeing the police and speeding.

¶ 10 In November 2008, R3 was readmitted to Maplewood because he needed structure and supervision. Maplewood again requested a background check on R3, but provided the Illinois State Police with an incorrect birth date for R3. Because of that error, the background check indicated that R3 had no criminal record, Maplewood did not notify the Department that R3 was an identified offender, and the Department did not draft and issue a CHAR.

¶ 11 However, Hill was again assigned as R3's caseworker. Hill was aware of R3's previous psychological and criminal history. A November 2008 document titled “Minimum Data Set” prepared by Hill reflected that R3 had a history of violence, including violence to others within the last year. Another document drafted by Hill indicated that R3 had been involved in a physical altercation with another resident at his first nursing facility placement prior to his first admission to Maplewood. Another document drafted by Hill stated that R3 had impaired decision-making at times, tended not to follow policies at times, and frequently tended to be the focus of negative attention. While interviewing him in November 2008, Hill found R3 to be evasive in discussing his issues. From November 2008 through January 2009, Hill found R3 to be noncompliant with his treatment plan for substance abuse, including alcohol and drug use and not attending meetings. R3 had been a cocaine user but denied that he had a substance-abuse problem. Hill further testified that upon R3's readmission in November 2008, R3's diagnoses and history were the same, and that the Minimum Data Set report for his second admission indicated R3 has had addictive behaviors, harms himself, and exhibits violent behaviors. R3 had a history of aggression and was involved in a physical altercation with another resident at his first nursing home placement. Hill testified that R3's care plan regarding ways to deal with R3's aggression required staff intervention. R3 was to be redirected by staff when agitated.

¶ 12 Nurses' notes during R3's second admission to Maplewood reflected the following. On November 13, 2008, R3 was awake all night playing video games in the dining room. On November 15, 2008, upon returning to Maplewood after being out of the facility on a pass, R3 was suspected of having used alcohol. On December 7, 2008, again upon returning to Maplewood after having been out on a pass, R3 was suspected of being under the influence of substances but would not disclose what he had taken. A test revealed R3 had a blood alcohol level of 0.08. On December 21, 2008, R3 was observed walking unsteadily in the hallway, unable to talk freely and confused. An alcohol test came back negative, but drug use was suspected.

¶ 13 On December 5, 2008, R3 had informed Maplewood staff that he was sexually frustrated and had increased sexual urges and thoughts due to separation from his fiancée. R3 was advised by the staff to masturbate. There was no additional...