July, 2009

Critical Condition

Table of Contents

• Lower Standards By: Jeff Kelly LowensteinA Chicago Reporter analysis shows that the quality of black seniors' nursing home care is drastically behind that of white seniors. > Read Article
  
  
• Methodology (Lower Standards) Methodology for "Lower Standards" > Read Article
  
  
• Resources (Lower Standards) Resources for "Lower Standards" > Read Article
  
  
• Briefing Paper: Nursing Home Inequity A briefing paper for July/August 2009 > Read Article
  
  
• How To Find A Nursing Home Finding a high-quality nursing home can be time-consuming and stressful. Experts suggest some tips to make the process easier. > Read Article
  
  
• Chicago Nursing Homes The interactive map shows information about 92 nursing homes in Chicago that are listed in Nursing Home Compare, a national database of Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes. The number on each icon corresponds to that facility’s overall rating out of five stars. > Read Article
  
  
• Data: Nursing Home Violations, Lawsuits and Ratings The Chicago Reporter has compiled databases of violations investigated by the Illinois Department of Public Health, of civil suits filed against 92 Chicago nursing homes, and of the ratings of majority-black nursing homes for each state in the country where there are majority-black homes. > Read Article
  
  
• Care Across Cultural Divide By: Jessica YoungNursing home providers reach out to Latino seniors > Read Article
  
  
• ‘People Are Living There’ By: Jennifer FernicolaChicago nursing home builds community through staff. > Read Article
  
  
• Excellence Lacking In Chicago, more than 55 percent of the nursing homes where a majority of the residents are black received the lowest federal rating, compared with 11 percent for white homes. No black home received an excellent rating. > Read Article
  
  
• Staffing Quality Inequities Staffing may play a significant role in nursing home disparities. Nearly 85 percent of homes where a majority of residents are black got the lowest rating for nurse staffing, compared with just 21 percent of white homes. > Read Article
  
  
• Inequities, Despite Poverty Some say people get poor care because they’re poor. But The Chicago Reporter found that even when controlling for poverty—by looking at homes where more than 75 percent of resident care is paid for by Medicaid—significant racial disparities remained. > Read Article
  
  
• Illinois Leads Nation Illinois has the highest number and highest percentage of poorly rated black nursing homes, of the states with at least three black facilities. > Read Article
  
  
• Reality TV Creates An ‘Unreal World’ By: Jessica YoungJuly/August spinoff > Read Article
  
  
• Diverse Pool Of Candidates By: James EdwardsJuly/August spinoff > Read Article
  
  
• Medical Payments In Perspective By: Mike JakubisinJuly/August spinoff > Read Article
  
  
• Fewer Blacks Jailed, But Disparities Persist By: Sarah BloomJuly/August spinoff > Read Article
  
  
• Providing A Stable Refuge By: Jessica YoungEarly learning center gives extra help to children in HIV- and AIDS-affected families. > Read Article
  
  
• Editor's Note: July-August 2009 By: Alden LouryInequality In Golden Years > Read Article
  
  
• Dated Roadmap For HIV And AIDS Prevention By: Jessica YoungAgencies working on HIV and AIDS prevention efforts in Chicago have to rely on dated records on the disease's prevalence while the Chicago Department of Public Health labors to release the latest epidemiological data. > Read Article
  
  
• Dolton Facility Gets High Marks For Nursing Home Care By: Jeff Kelly LowensteinA Dolton nursing home received what no other black Illinois facilities accomplished: the highest quality rating by the Nursing Home Compare. > Read Article
  
  
• 120 Days By: Marian WangChicago’s 10-year Plan to End Homelessness meant moving people from the street to permanent housing within 120 days. Seven years later, advocates now struggle to fulfill a plan critics say is unrealistic, underfunded and lacks sufficient housing. > Read Article
  
  
• Methodology (120 Days) Methodology for "120 Days" > Read Article
  
  
• Defining Homelessness: Who Counts? By: Marian WangOfficials throughout the city define homelessness differently, causing some confusion in determing the annual number of homeless in Chicago. > Read Article
  
  
• Home And Back Again By: Marian WangOne woman struggles to find stable housing for her family. > Read Article
  
  
• What To Call Home? By: Marian WangHere’s how city, school and federal officials roughly define the term, "homeless." > Read Article
  
  
• The Waste Of Chicago By: Marian WangA Reporter investigation shows that Taste of Chicago vendors have discarded a ton of food, literally. > Read Article
  
  
• Violations And Discarded Food More than a ton of food was thrown out at last year’s festival. See why, how much and what it cost vendors. > Read Article
  
  
• Disparate Nursing Home Care By: Jeff Kelly LowensteinInvestigation finds nursing home with fatal fall among worst-rated in city and saddled with lawsuits. > Read Article
  
  
• Methodology (Disparate Nursing Home Care) Methodology for "Disparate Nursing Home Care" > Read Article
  
  
• Schlossberg Homes Floyd Schlossberg is one of the state's largest owners of nursing homes; however, the average ratings of his homes differ by race. Each of the three majority black homes received the lowest overall rating from a federal ranking system, while less than half of the 17 majority white homes earned the same score. > Read Article
  
  
• Ten Worst Owners A list of the 10 owners with the most poorly rated homes in Illinois. > Read Article