BELLEVILLE - A resident of a care home claims staff failed to look after him properly, which allegedly led to him suffering from pressure sores and ulcers that resulted in three surgeries.
George W. Brown, and his wife Bettye, filed suit against Helia Southbelt Healthcare, doing business as Four Fountains Convalescent Center, a related entity and individual staff.
The suit, filed Nov. 13 in St. Clair County Circuit Court, alleges violations of the Illinois Nursing Home Care Act as well as negligence in the care of George Brown. His wife joined the suit with a claim of loss of consortium, or comfort.
According to the suit, Brown was a resident at the Belleville care home from Nov. 14, 2017 to Dec. 15, 2017.
It claims the owner and staff had a duty to comply with the act, to not neglect residents, to provide adequate nursing care, to prevent residents from suffering physical or emotional injury, to properly assess residents, investigate incidents and injuries, and to follow any physician's orders.
Specifically, it is alleged staff "failed to provide adequate care and treatment to prevent or treat pressure sores," to intervene to prevent them, and, after they and decubitus ulcers developed, did not adequately deal with them.
Further, the center is accused of failing to have enough properly trained nursing staff or ones that had been screened to make sure they were fit to do the work.
"George W. Brown did experience personal injury to his body as a whole, including but not limited to a severe coccyx/sacral decubitus ulcer, resulting in severe infection and three emergency surgeries, including a permanent colostomy," the suit states.
Brown, along with his wife, is seeking more than $50,000, paid out medical expenses and suffered pain, mental anguish, disfigurement, and physical impairment.
The couple are represented by Jerome Lefton of Lefton Law in St. Louis, and Daniel Price of Wham & Wham in Centralia.
St. Clair County Circuit Court case number 2019-L-796.