The Illinois Department of Public Health and CMS are investigating a nursing home that allegedly had no medical staff on duty May 1, NBC Chicago reported May 2.
Warren Barr Lincolnshire (Ill.), a 144-bed skilled nursing facility with 104 residents, is in the process of changing ownership, according to ABC7. On May 1, Ceil Barrie went to move her parents out and discovered no staff in the facility.
"Walked through the front doors, police everywhere, and then just an eerie, eerie silence," Ms. Barrie said. "People, that morning, were calling ambulances. They were calling 911 just to get their parents out because they needed care."
Nursing home surveyors arrived at the facility that morning after being notified of the lack of staff. They were met by the medical director of the facility who "had arrived to check on patients," according to the report.
The facility typically has 60 employees, according to ABC7, but only 20 showed up for work. NBC Chicago reported there were no nursing or clinical staff on duty.
The Lincolnshire Fire Department assisted in treating the facility's residents, many of whom had gone without medication for hours.
Surveyors assessed the facility for safety and coordinated staff to care for residents for the next week, officials stated. They are now investigating the facility's failure to provide care and appropriate staffing.