SPRINGFIELD, IL— State Senator William Delgado (D-Chicago) is working with his fellow colleagues to bring about a solution to this ongoing crisis of inadequate nursing home care for our seniors.  The goal is to find real policy solutions that will make nursing homes safer. This is the second of three joint hearings of the Illinois Senate Public Health Committee and the Human Services Committee.  The committees have heard testimony from the public, state agencies, advocates and representatives of the nursing home industry concerning nursing home placement issues and the safety of nursing home residents.

This hearing is a result of a three-part Chicago Tribune expose that focused on how nursing homes are allowing elderly residents and mentally-ill felons to be in the same facility.   Problems occurred when facilities did not conduct background checks on the younger criminals which in conjunction with low staffing levels, led to assaults and other crimes that were not reported to the authorities.

“We have a big, big mess on our hands,” said Senator Hunter, Chairperson of the Senate’s Human Services Committee.   “Not only are we talking about violent offenders and mentally ill patients, we also have the elderly who the nursing homes were originally set up to cater."

This hearing is one in a series that have focused on disparities in nursing home care throughout the state.