Failure to Timely Report Alleged Sexual Abuse to State Authorities
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to report an allegation of sexual abuse within the required timeframe to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). After a resident was discharged home, her daughter reported to facility staff that the resident had alleged being sexually assaulted during her stay. The daughter initially contacted the facility regarding a missing cell phone and, during the conversation, mentioned the allegation of sexual abuse. This information was relayed to the facility administrator by the admissions staff. Despite being informed of the allegation, the administrator did not immediately report the incident to IDPH, believing that reporting was unnecessary since the resident was no longer at the facility. The facility's own policy requires that allegations of abuse be reported to IDPH immediately, but not later than two hours after the allegation is made if it involves abuse or serious bodily injury. The report to IDPH was ultimately made two days after the initial allegation was received, exceeding the required reporting timeframe.