Belleville nurse convicted after the death of Collinsville nursing home resident
Illinois State Police announced Wednesday the conviction and sentencing of a licensed practical nurse for failure to administer life saving measures to a resident in a Collinsville nursing home in 2017.
Christy McCall, 45, of Belleville pleaded guilty to an amended charge of reckless conduct misdemeanor in Madison County court on March 14, according to a news release from the Illinois State Police.
McCall’s original charges of criminal neglect of a long-term care facility resident resulting in death and criminal neglect of a long-term facility resident resulting in injury were vacated as terms of her guilty plea, according to the news release.
McCall was sentenced to a year of probation and ordered to pay fines and fees of $1,039.
According to the release, on Aug. 1, 2017, the administrator of the Collinsville Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center notified the Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau of an allegation that McCall neglected to provide proper care to a resident leading to the death of the resident.
An investigation conducted by the Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud Control Bureau revealed that McCall failed to come in and check the resident’s deteriorating medical condition and failed to apply CPR after being alerted by other nursing home staff of the resident’s unresponsiveness which resulted in the resident’s death.
Eunice Vancil of Maryville was the resident who died, according to the original charging documents filed in 2018. Her obituary states she died on June 30, 2017. She was 81.
Van-Lear P. Eckert was listed as an attorney for McCall, according to Madison County court records. A representative of his office on Wednesday said he declined to comment about the case and he advises his clients not to comment.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation suspended McCall’s nursing license due to this investigation, state police said.
Individuals are encouraged to call the Illinois State Police Medicaid Fraud Hotline at 888-557-9503 to report suspected fraud or abuse of medical providers involved in the Medicaid system.