Peoria long-term care hospital singled out in complaints

Four complaints of poor care were lodged against facility now called Kindred, Chicago Tribune report found

By PAM ADAMS (padams@pjstar.com) of the Journal Star Posted Nov 07, 2011 @ 11:40 PM

PEORIA —
Greater Peoria Specialty Hospital, now Kindred Hospital, was among several hospitals statewide singled out for scrutiny by the Chicago Tribune in a report on the state’s failure to investigate consumer complaints about hospital safety.

The Illinois Department of Public Health did not look into 85 percent of the 560 allegations made to the agency in 2010, according to the Tribune investigation. IDPH spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said it’s not that the agency doesn’t investigate complaints, it’s that the agency can’t because state legislators have not passed laws to fund investigations.

In the case of Greater Peoria Specialty, four complaints, made over a six-week period from late September to early November, involved neglect ranging from cold food to patients left to lie or sit in feces for hours.

“If you look at the descriptions of those complaints, it sounds horrible,” Arnold said.

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