Oak Park Newspaper

The following night another ambulance is called to the Oak Park Healthcare Center, 625 North Harlem Ave, in Oak Park.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc. photo

Elderly Man is Beaten to Death in Oak Park While in Oak Park Healthcare Center Facility.

report and commentary by Ed Vincent

On Sunday, February 12th, a call came to 911 for the Oak Park Police department with the report of an attack on an elderly man. The attack was recorded to have come from the third floor psychiatric unit of the Oak Park Healthcare Center, 625 North Harlem Ave, in Oak Park.

Sources have noted that a 66 year old patient on the third floor of the Alzheimer/dementia ward of the Oak Park Healthcare Center had "sucker punched" an 80 year old patient suffering from Alzheimers. The 66 year old, 255 pound offender with a criminal past is said to have delivered the fatal blow to a Mr. Anibal Calderon.

When Fire and Police arrived at the Oak Park Healthcare Center shortly after the 8:40 p.m. call for service, they were unable to enter the facility since there was no key available in the Police/Fire box on the outside of the building. When repeated knocks on the glass door resulted in someone noticing the problem it took several more minutes for someone on the inside of the building to find a key to let them in. When they entered the building and tried to get to the third floor psychiatric unit they found the elevator was not working and were told that it had been out of service for about a month.
When we called the following day and asked about the status of the elevator the person at the Oak Park Healthcare Center told us that he could not comment on anything and hung up on us.

Mr. Anibal Calderon was partially conscious when personnel arrived at the scene, he was carried down the stairs since the elevator was broken, and taken to Rush Oak Park Hospital where he was treated for his visible injuries and given a CT (Computed tomography) scan of his head.

File photo of person with severe head trauma, not the CT scan of the victim.

It was noted that it was thought that Mr. Anibal Calderon would not survive more than an hour. Mr. Anibal Calderon was next taken to the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago where he was taken to the ICU of the neurological unit. Sources tell us that he placed into a coma for stability and time for officials to notify the next of kin.

Almost a day later Mr. Anibal Calderon was pronounced dead at 1:01 a.m. on Tuesday morning. It now more than an aggravated battery is now a homicide declared by the Cook County Medical examiner.

This is a for profit business and is rated one of the worst in State of Illinois. It had been know for many years as the Fairmount of Oak Park. Village employees have told us that on many occasions for calls to the new facility they have smelled urine, feces, and things even worse in nature.

We spoke to members of the Illinois State Fire Marshall's office today to find out about potential violations of the use of the Police/Fire call box. They are going to get back to us about those matters. Ten years ago they were given a $10,000 fine from the State of Illinois. If this goes to court for a wrongful death against the Oak Park Healthcare Company the expense could be a lot more significant. There are now nearly two dozen reported criminals living at the facility which gives you a 14% population of potentially dangerous residents and in this case very dangerous, and deadly.

For the family of Mr. Anibal Calderon we extend our sympathy, to the agencies monitoring this establishment, you can do much more to ensure the safety of the most vulnerable.

Report of comment below:

"Oak Park Healthcare Center in Oak Park Illinois has a 75% occupancy rate with 153 residents using its 204 beds. They are not part of a multiple nursing home ownership and are a For Profit nursing home. Oak Park Healthcare Center has a below average registered nurse per resident per day of 17 minutes compared to the Illinois state nursing home average of 42 minutes. They had 29 deficiencies in its past 2 state inspections compared to the IL average of 11 and 13 complaints compared to the IL average of 3. Oak Park
Healthcare Center had 23 fire safety deficiencies in the past 2 state inspections which is worse than the Illinois state nursing home average of 12."

Ratings of Oak Park Health Care and those of the State of Illinois

May 29, 2002
OAK PARK HEALTHCARE CENTER FINED FOR INADEQUATE CARE

Police investigating death after suspected altercation at extended care facility
02.14.12

Oak Park Police are investigating the death of an 80-year-old man caused by injuries he is believed to have received in an altercation with a fellow patient at an extended care facility.

Emergency services personnel responded to a call at about 8:40 p.m., Sunday, of a man found unconscious by a nurse at Oak Park Health Care, 625 N. Harlem Ave.

They found Anibal Calderon, a patient in the Alzheimer/dementia ward, unconscious, and with an apparent head injury.

He was transported to Rush Oak Park Hospital and later Rush Hospital in Chicago where he died from his injuries.

The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has ruled the death a homicide caused by cerebral cranial hemorrhaging due to blunt force trauma.

A 66-year-old patient in the same ward is believed to be connected to the incident.

The investigation is continuing.