Nursing home loses 51 employees after customs inspection

A probe by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of the staff at Rosewood Care Center in Northbrook, Illinois, revealed many employees at the Chicagoland nursing home were working at the facility illegally—without proper paperwork the government requires for aliens to legally work.

Over the course of a three month inspection of worker documents, Customs officials determined that many of the work documents were missing or expired. They also sent Rosewood a letter stating the fines for employing an “unauthorized alien” range from $375 to $3,200 per violation.

Mike Brady, president of Bravo Care of Northbrook, the management company for Rosewood, says the nursing home is not at fault for hiring the workers. Rather, Brady says the nursing home was duped by workers who faked or forged documents to get jobs. The allegedly forged documents are called I-9 forms, which verify employment eligibility with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

After news of the illegal employment was formally disclosed, 51 of the 130 nursing home workers abandoned their positions at the facility. Consequently, many essential positions at the nursing home such as nursing assistant and dietary worker were left vacant.

Brady said not to worry. “I would say our care being provided is excellent. We’re still operating,” he added.

I certainly hope that the nursing home residents at Rosewood do not suffer any adverse effects with the huge turnover of staff.

Read more about the story at this Illinois nursing home here.

Has your facility ever discovered an illegal on staff? Please discuss in the comments below.

Jonathan Rosenfeld is a lawyer who represents people injured in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. Jonathan has represented victims of nursing home abuse and neglect throughout Illinois and across the country. Visit his personal blog at www.nursinghomesabuseblog.com and his Web site BedsoreFAQ.com.