CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, May 2 - The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has opened an investigation into a nursing home in Lincolnshire after receiving reports yesterday that there were no medical staff on duty at Warren Barr Lincolnshire, a skilled nursing facility licensed to house 144 beds at 150 Jamestown Lane.

IDPH nursing home surveyors responded immediately to the home Monday morning after being alerted to the lack of clinical care staff. The Lincolnshire Fire Department EMS units also responded to the home to assist in caring for residents. When IDPH staff arrived, they encountered the facility medical director who had arrived to check on patients and no nursing or other clinical staff on duty at the facility.

The IDPH surveyors assisted in assessing the facility for safety and quickly worked to contact staff who had previously worked at the facility. IDPH worked with the staff to develop a plan for continuing care coverage for the residents for the next 24 hours and through the next week. There were 104 residents in the home at the time.

"Our first priority was to ensure the care and well-being of all affected residents," IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said. "A comprehensive review and investigation is underway. We are grateful for the swift response by local EMS and police officials in Lincolnshire, as well as our sister agency, the Illinois Department on Aging, all of whom assisted in responding to this urgent issue."

IDPH is investigating a failure to provide adequate staff and to provide for the health and safety of residents under Illinois's Nursing Home Care Act. The department is also coordinating the investigation with federal CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) which is responsible for long term care facilities that participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The investigation will assess if penalties will be handed down, including the possibility of citations and monetary fines.

The license for the facility is in the name of Lincolnshire Living & Rehab Center, LLC.