Continental Nursing: Smoking Violations Risk Lives - IL
The smoking violations came to light during a complaint inspection in August when surveyors smelled cigarette smoke inside a resident's room and discovered cigarette butts scattered on the floor next to another resident's bed.
On August 21, inspectors left one resident's room and returned less than five minutes later to find the air thick with cigarette smoke. The resident had just entered from the hallway and showed no signs of smoking.
Two minutes later, surveyors found cigarette butts on the floor beside the bed of Resident 11, a known smoker whose care plan documented repeated violations of the facility's smoking policy.
The resident's care plan revealed a pattern of dangerous behavior: "R11 violated the smoking agreement by being found and witnessed to smoke marijuana at facility premises on multiple occasions."
When confronted by inspectors, the resident initially denied smoking inside the building, claiming the cigarette butts "must have fallen from their pockets." Later, the resident admitted the truth: "R11 used to smoke inside the facility until the facility told R11 not to."
Staff searched the resident's pockets and room but found no smoking materials.
The violations create serious fire hazards in a building that houses oxygen equipment and 59 residents on the third floor alone. Illinois law prohibits smoking inside public buildings and within 15 feet of doorways.
The facility's assistant director of nursing, who has worked there four months, told inspectors she had never witnessed residents smoking inside and no staff had reported such incidents to her. When smoke is detected, she said, two staff members including social services search the resident's pockets and room for cigarettes, lighters, or other smoking materials.
"If a resident is caught smoking, they would be put on pass restriction, we notify the physician, family, social service, Administrator, Interdisciplinary team," the assistant director said.
The social services director emphasized the safety risks. "It creates an unsafe atmosphere. We have oxygen in the building. Smoking in the facility is not allowed to keep residents and staff safe."
She confirmed finding "at least two" old cigarette butts under the resident's bed and said staff should immediately alert supervisors if they catch someone actively smoking: "They should make supervisor, Administrator, Social Service aware and call a code for help."
The facility's smoking policy, dated October 2015, states its objective is "to provide a safe and healthy living environment with respect for the health and well-being needs of each resident, staff member and visitor."
The policy requires residents to follow smoking rules and comply with ongoing restrictions. Smoking is only allowed in designated outdoor areas that meet state and local standards, with the facility's interior remaining smoke-free at all times when prohibited by law.
Despite these policies and the documented marijuana use, the resident continued to have access to smoking materials and opportunities to violate safety rules inside the building.
The inspection found that Continental Nursing & Rehab Center failed to maintain accident-free conditions for residents on the third floor, where the smoking violations occurred.
Federal inspectors classified the violations as causing minimal harm or potential for actual harm to some residents, though the presence of oxygen equipment and the facility's acknowledgment of fire risks suggest the consequences could have been far more severe.
The resident's admission that they previously smoked inside "until the facility told them not to" indicates the violations were ongoing before inspectors arrived, raising questions about how long the dangerous behavior continued undetected or unreported by staff.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Continental Nursing & Rehab Center from 2025-08-26 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: Official federal inspection data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Editorial process: AI-synthesized regulatory data, reviewed for accuracy by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: June 20, 2026 · Our methodology
CONTINENTAL NURSING & REHAB CENTER in CHICAGO, IL was cited for violations during a health inspection on August 26, 2025.
On August 21, inspectors left one resident's room and returned less than five minutes later to find the air thick with cigarette smoke.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.