River North of Bradley Health and Rehabilitation Center recently decided to change their name to GreenTree of Bradley Rehab and Health. In an interview, JoMarie Silver, GreenTree’s administrator stated this change “goes along with other changes we are making in the facility.” However, the nursing home still has the same owner, administrator, and website. Unfortunately, throughout the last 6-months, the nursing home has had several run-ins with the state and federal regulators, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars in fines. The nursing home has been rated “much below average”, which is the lowest rating among Kankakee County nursing homes, however, they recently moved up to “below average”. The facility’s staff members aren’t happy with the facilities conditions, either. In September of 2018, nursing assistants working in the facility voted 29-3 to form a union, blaming the union’s formation on the facility’s “poor management”.
On top of these issues, in January 2018, the nursing home’s owners were in a legal battle regarding control of the facility. Benjamin Friedman has a 30 percent ownership stake, holding the biggest share. The majority of the other shares belong to the Mauer family, particularly Marshall Mauer. According to Friedman, the Mauer family locked him out of the facility, prompting him to take legal action against them. Alexander Loftus, Friedman’s lawyer, claims that the facility has gone downhill since Friedman was excluded from the business. Friedman, who came up with name River North, referring to a popular Chicago neighborhood, was not aware of the facility’s name change. His lawyer claims that his client was also not aware of the recent union, using this as proof that Friedman is not to blame for the facility’s recent issues.
Unfortunately, these issues prompted the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to issue a public notice stating it was terminating its agreement with the facility in September 2018, which would have shut them down. This threat is extremely uncommon and only a few nursing homes receive termination threats. In fact, during the quarter that GreenTree received the threat, only 15 other nursing homes across the nation, which includes over 15,000 facilities, were issued the same threat by the federal agency. On September 25 of 2018, the federal agency voided the notice allowing the nursing home to stay open.
The owners of the facility hope that the new name will allow them to rebuild their impaired reputation and provide them with a fresh start. More information on this story can be found on the Daily Journal.
When nursing home facilities fail to meet standard conditions, innocent residents suffer the consequences. These facilities are responsible for ensuring that these individuals needs are being met, and when they fail to do so, you have the right to seek legal assistance. If you or a loved one has experienced neglect from a nursing home facility, contact the experienced nursing home abuse attorneys of Spiros Law, P.C., today at (815) 929-9292.
