Judge Orders State To Inspect Cicero Nursing Home With COVID-19 Outbreak
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A judge has ordered the State of Illinois to inspect a Cicero nursing home that had more than 200 coronavirus cases. Cicero leaders went to court to force the state to take action at the City View Multicare Center.
Cicero officials say they cited City View 10 times for negligence, and the home still didn't take enough steps to keep residents and staff safe, so they filed suit.
"We have told them they have to do more, and they haven't done that," says Cicero spokesman Ray Hanania.
He says the town's inspectors found City View not doing enough to protect residents and staff from COVID-19.
"So they would have maybe face masks, but they didn't have the face coverings," he said. "They didn't have the gowns. They weren't wearing gloves. They didn't have the shoes covered."
Cicero says City View told the town's Emergency Operations Committee that 164 residents and 41 staff members tested positive as of last week. Nine residents and one worker died.
The lawsuit also names Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health for not doing enough to hold City View accountable.
"We complained to them," Hanania said. "We still didn't get any response, and we still don't see any changes. So we were forced to file a lawsuit to bring this to attention of the state."
The governor said Tuesday that the state is working with private nursing homes and giving them guidance, but ultimately the homes are responsible.
"We are counting on those facilities to do the right thing. They obviously are also subject to liability when they don't," Pritzker said.
The governor made his comments before Judge Alison Conlon ordered the state to inspect City View. Within the hour, a City View spokesman told CBS 2 the home is happy to welcome state inspectors and to work with the state public health department. The spokesman added that 90% of residents who tested positive are symptom-free.
