Personal Injury Law

Chicago injury attorney: Key to ending violence in nursing homes is adequate staffing

Chicago injury attorney Steven M. Levin recently addressed the violence that has been reported and uncovered in Illinois nursing homes in a Letter to the Editor at Chicago Tribune. Mr. Levin commended the Chicago Tribune?s effort in raising public awareness surrounding the safety issues in Chicago nursing homes. The title of the Chicago Tribune article was ?Nursing homes? toll: 86 sex cases, 1 arrest.? Steven M. Levin has represented victims and families of victims in several incidents of Illinois nursing home abuse and neglect and has advocated for nursing home reform for many years. The nursing home attorneys at Levin & Perconti have fought for the vulnerable nursing home victims and have been successful in obtaining many record verdicts and settlements.

The Chicago Tribune noted that many of the Illinois nursing homes where sexual attacks occurred were operated with insufficient nursing home staff. Mr. Levin replied that substandard nursing home staffing is the cause of the majority of Illinois nursing home neglect and safety issues. Mr. Levin added that some nursing home owners focus on census and revenue over the safety of their nursing home residents. In order to end the incessant violence in Chicago nursing homes, we must address the issue of nursing home staffing.

As highlighted in a blog post from earlier this week, Illinois elected officials are stepping up their push for nursing home safety, but there is more that we can do. Readers are encouraged to contact your state representatives to demand legislation providing adequate staffing standards for Illinois nursing homes. You can find out who your state representative is by clicking here.

To read the Letter to the Editor that Steven M. Levin submitted to the Chicago Tribune, click here.

Full post as published by Illinois Injury Lawyer Blog on March 03, 2010 (boomark / email).