Details about this story

• Source: Chicago Reporter
• Date: July 21, 2009
• URL: Read the story
• Bylines: Jeff Kelly Lowenstein
• Topics: Health Care , Safety
• Data Types: Federal Data
• Description/Excerpt: An investigation by The Chicago Reporter found that Illinois is arguably the worst state in the nation for black senior citizens seeking quality nursing home care. There is just one home in Illinois rated “excellent” by the federal government when more than 50 percent of the home’s residents are black. In Illinois, these facilities get the worst federal ratings and on average have more violations than facilities where a majority of residents are white. And in Chicago, on average, these homes have more medical malpractice and personal injury lawsuits. People in white homes got better care than those in black homes, even if both were poor. The Reporter analyzed the records of 15,724 nursing homes listed in the federal Nursing Home Compare ranking database to determine if disparities existed in the quality of care. The overall rating is based on a combination of health inspection results, staffing levels and how well each home performs on 10 important aspects of care, like how well residents maintain their ability to dress themselves and eat. The database includes homes that get some of their money from Medicaid or Medicare, more than 95 percent of all nursing homes.
• Database or Graphic: Go to site (php/c/The_Numbers/d/Data:_Nursing_Home_Violations,_Lawsuits_and_Ratings)