Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1311160
14 PATIENT SAFETY 'Shut it down': Virginia hospital under investigation isn't safe, nurse says By Ayla Ellison A registered nurse who formerly worked at Cumberland Hospital for Children and Adolescents in New Kent, Va., is calling for it to be shut down aer she said she witnessed child abuse at the facility, according to CBS 6. e nurse, who asked not to be identified, re- signed from the hospital in July. "My soul will not allow me to continue employ- ment within a facility where children are know- ingly abused without appropriate action being taken," reads the resignation letter the nurse sent to the hospital's CEO. "Under no circumstances is abuse against a patient, much less a special needs child, appropriate in any fashion!" e nurse claimed she reported an "abusive staff member" on several occasions, and no action was taken by hospital leaders. e nurse resigned about five months aer a CBS 6 investigation revealed the hospital had been at the center of a criminal investigation of allegations of child abuse and neglect since October 2017. e Virginia State Police told CBS 6 the investi- gation was ongoing as of early October. "Shut it down, shut it down until they can revamp," the nurse told CBS 6 in response to a question about what action the state should take against the hospital. "I believe Cumberland can be a phenomenal facility. However, it is not there now. It's just not there. It's not safe." e CBS 6 investigation also found that from 2015 until February 2020, the Virginia Health Department said it received 31 complaints about the facility, of which 18 were founded. "Cumberland Hospital for Children and Ado- lescents has been, and continues to be, in good standing with our licensing and regulatory au- thorities," the hospital said in a statement to CBS 6 earlier this year. "We are surveyed regularly, and like many healthcare facilities, address any deficiencies that may be cited. Further, any com- plaint or allegation is taken seriously, investigated thoroughly and addressed as appropriate." n Complaints of long wait times spur probe of California safety-net system By Mackenzie Bean C alifornia health officials will investigate Los Angeles County's safety-net healthcare system after a report highlighted clinician concerns about long wait times for specialty care, reported the Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles Times published an investigative report Sept. 30 that claimed that thousands of patients at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services faced extremely long delays to see specialists. The report identified six cases in which patients died after waiting at least three months to see physicians in such critical specialties as cardiology or oncol- ogy, though it's not clear whether the delays played a role in their deaths. A spokesperson for the California Department of Health Care Services said it will probe whether any managed care plan that offers Califor- nia's Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, violated a state contract to provide adequate access to care. "Any untimely death is a tragedy, and our hearts go out to the families suffering the loss of a loved one. The wait times outlined by the Times are unacceptable," Michelle Baass, undersecretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, said in a statement to the Los An- geles Times. "Timely access to care is a fundamental patient right." Earlier this year, the California Department of Managed Health Care also launched an investigation into the county's wait times. In a previous statement to Becker's, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services called the Los Angeles Times' report "misleading and sensationalistic" and said it "ignores the overwhelming evidence showing DHS has greatly improved its specialty care system to provide on-time consultations and procedures in the vast number of cases." n Medtronic recalls heart catheter after 1 death, 2 injuries By Maia Anderson M edtronic has recalled its Rashkind balloon catheter after reports of a patient death and two patient injuries, the FDA announced Nov. 3. The catheter is used as part of treatment for people with congenital heart defects. Medtronic said it is recalling the device because of quality issues that may lead to the device breaking, separating or failing during use. This could cause serious adverse effects, such as blood vessel damage or death. Medtronic said it has received reports of two patient injuries and one patient death related to the recall and has stopped making and distributing the device due to reasons unrelated to the recall. n