Nursing Home Chain Operator Sues to Distance Himself From Poor Care Record; Mauer, Operator of Dynamic Nursing Homes, Sues Union for Publicizing Care Record
Monday, June 12th, 2006.
Chicago, IL – Marshall Mauer filed suit last week in Cook County Circuit Court to attempt to silence critics publicizing the patient care records of Dynamic-related nursing homes. Dynamic is a chain which he operates. The suit claims SEIU Local 4 defames Mauer by releasing already-public results of State of Illinois nursing home inspections.
Mauer is a principal of the Dynamic nursing home chain. Dynamic-related homes were cited by the state 50 times last year for violating basic patient care standards. State of Illinois nursing home inspection reports are available to the public on the internet at http://www.idph.state.il.us/healthca/nursinghometestjava.htm. The union compiled the inspection reports into a document about the patterns of poor care at Dynamic, which Mauer claims is defamatory.
Violations included:
- Failure to protect each resident from all abuse, or physical punishment.
- Failure to give residents proper treatment to prevent new bed (pressure) sores or heal existing bed sores.
- Failure to make sure that residents are well nourished.
- Failure to have a program to keep infection from spreading.
- Failure to keep each resident free from physical restraints, unless needed for medical treatment.
“You can’t sue people for publicizing your patient care record just because you don’t like it,” remarked Hal Ruddick, President of SEIU Local 4. “It’s time Dynamic was held accountable for its profits-before-patients nursing home operations.”
This is not the first time that Dynamic’s patient care record has landed the company and its principals in court. Carol Yaros, former Social Service Director at Ottowa Pavillion, a Dynamic nursing home, has a suit pending against a Dynamic home claiming she was fired for blowing the whistle to state nursing home surveyors on the poor care at the home.
SEIU Local 4 will continue its campaign to publicize Mauer and Dynamic’s poor care records until the company makes a commitment to improving the quality of jobs and care.
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