Former employee describes chaos when Lincolnshire nursing home patients left without care
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. (CBS) -- A former employee on Friday shared firsthand the confusion and chaos the day a nursing home in Lincolnshire left seniors abandoned for hours - without any medical care.
As CBS 2's Marissa Perlman reported Friday night, the worker said days later, there was still no plan in place for the residents of what is now The Wealshire.
She said employees received one week's notice that new operators would be coming in at the Lincolnshire nursing home – and their jobs weren't guaranteed to be secure when that happened.
The Illinois Department of Public Health is now launching its own investigation – and called in former employees to staff the nursing home on an emergency basis for one week.
What happens next isn't clear – and the employee worries the residents could be abandoned once again.
Photos from inside the Lincolnshire nursing facility from this past Monday show police on the scene, and ambulances.
But more notably, they show empty desks and hallways – and not one medical professional in sight.
The now-former employee who spoke with CBS 2's Perlman asked us to hide her identity for fear of retaliation both from Warren Barr Lincolnshire – the outgoing operator, and The Wealshire – the incoming operator.
We have obtained documents that prove she was an employee who was also on the scene Monday.
"It was absolutely chaos," the employee said. "There were police. There was the fire department."
She described what happened as a "botched handoff" between operators that left more than 100 senior residents without care for at least five hours.
Employees were notified one week before the ownership change that their jobs were not guaranteed. By Monday, there were still no clear answers – including for medical staff, who needed licensing clearance to work.
"The majority of the employees got this news and they started to seek different opportunities," the employee said.
Family members arrived Monday morning to see empty hallways, and residents who needed medication and wound treatment – and no one to help. Three residents were taken to the emergency room for evaluation.
"These are people who came to a skilled nursing facility who trusted us," the employee said.
CBS 2 received a statement from Arnie Goldberg with The Wealshire, which read in part: "The Wealshire has launched an investigation into the causes of the unfortunate incident.... Promptly after the situation was known, the shortage was remedied with many of the nursing staff returning to their posts, as well as assistance from other sources."
Sources tell us the facility is now operating at 50 percent staffing levels.
The now-former employee blames both operators for not putting resident care first.
Perlman: "Are you worried that the residents could be abandoned again?"
Former employee: "Yes, I'm absolutely worried about that."
The Illinois Department of Public Health said Monday that they found the facility medical director – who had arrived to check on patients – but not one nursing staffer or other clinical staffer on duty.
Their investigation will find whether fines, citations, or penalties will be handed down.
