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Bed Check: The condition of East Central Illinois nursing homes

Across East Central Illinois, more than half of nursing home beds available to Medicare and Medicaid patients are in homes that are rated below or well below average. Here we offer an in-depth look at nursing home care, inspection reports and how to find a good nursing home.

See the condition of nursing homes with our interactive map and reports

CU-CitizenAccess.org is taking a close look at 93 nursing homes in East Central Illinois in the wake of state efforts to reform nursing home oversight.

The results are startling.

Many nursing homes have repeated safety violations spanning the past five years, placing residents at risk for untreated pressure sores, bladder infections, serious medication errors and broken bones.

Safety violations cloud nursing homes

Many nursing homes across Central Illinois have been cited repeatedly over the past five years for safety violations that put residents’ lives at risk.

Key findings

Over the past few months, we've reviewed hundreds of federal and state inspection reports on the quality of nursing home care. Here’s a look at what we found.

Violations that matter

Here's a look at some of the problems the state found and issued fines for in nursing homes across Central Illinois, based on a review of the state's quarterly reports of nursing home violators.

WILL: Audio stories and interview

Listen here to hear a radio story on the issue in Champaign County.

Click here to hear nursing home administrators discuss the challenges of providing quality nursing home care.

How to find a good nursing home

Finding a nursing home or long-term care facility can be challenging. Read advice from advocates and nursing home administrators on what you should look for, recommended websites for comparison and questionnaires to use when looking for a nursing home.

Nursing home care reform

In July 2010, Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law two bills that introduced broad reforms for the state’s nursing homes. Here’s what’s happened since.

Nursing home care is different today

Instead of nursing homes becoming a final, permanent home for the elderly, they’ve transitioned to a temporary home used for recuperating from surgery or an illness for a majority of senior citizens.

Interactive features

Use these features to compare fines among nursing homes or see more information about nursing homes in East Central Illinois.

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Talk on Twitter #cunursehome

Photo slideshow

Credits

Produced by Dan Petrella and Pam G. Dempsey
Photos by Darrell Hoemann
Former University of Illinois journalism student Sabrina Santucci contributed to this report