Progress Illinois

Back in July, The Chicago Reporter exposed one of the Prairie State's dirtiest secrets. Not only are dozens of Illinois nursing homes ranked among the worst in the nation (PDF), but African-Americans are increasingly likely to receive sub-standard medical care and be housed in facilities with dangerous criminals.

Social service providers were not surprised. For years, they've witnessed firsthand the way the poor have been dumped into these homes simply because affordable housing, drug treatment programs, and mental health facilities are in increasingly short supply. The private nursing home industry has been more than eager to fill this void (and, of course, cash in on the flow of Medicaid reimbursements).

In a subsequent investigation, the Tribune revealed how lax state regulation paved the way for the current situation. More from the Trib's investigation:

Mentally ill patients now constitute more than 15 percent of the state's total nursing home population of 92,225, government records show, and the number of residents convicted of serious felonies has increased to 3,000. Among them are 82 convicted murderers, 179 sex offenders and 185 armed robbers [...]

Just 50 nursing homes in Illinois house more than half of the 3,000 offenders, according to the Tribune's analysis. In Chicago, many of those homes are clustered in a few ZIP codes in Uptown and on the South Side.

Because of poor tracking by the state, it is impossible to tally the violence taking place at nursing homes. But a Tribune analysis of preliminary Chicago police data -- which do not always specify whether the alleged offenders and victims were residents, staff or visitors -- gives a clue.

Those police reports show that since March 2008, police reported 511 cases of assault or battery, 27 cases of criminal sexual assault and 24 narcotics violations in city nursing homes.

Noting "shocking and unconscionable gaps" in state regulations, Attorney General Lisa Madigan last month began pressuring the Illinois Department of Public Health to ramp up nursing home inspections and begin working with state police to identify and review the criminal history of felons who are currently living in these facilities.  Gov. Pat Quinn has also created a Nursing Home Safety Task Force led by Michael Gelder.

Last Thursday at an Illinois Senate hearing on nursing home reform, Gelder unveiled an preliminary set of proposals to improve nursing home safety. The most noteworthy recommendation is that Illinois invest enough money in long-term and community-based services to provide mentally-ill patients with the care they need. A more concrete plan will be turned over to the governor by January 31.

Already, state senators on the relevant committees -- such as Jacqueline Collins, William Delgado, Susan Garrett, Heather Steans, and Mattie Hunter -- seem gung-ho about crafting and advancing legislation on this issue. The true test is whether they and their colleagues can also reform the state's antiquated tax structure during next year's session. (All but Garrett voted in favor of HB 174 last May.)

After all, absent new revenue, it's certain that the state will be cutting -- not investing in -- the sort of critical services that can solve this problem.