Ombudsman Reports Improvements at 3 Local Hospitals
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The conditions at three local hospitals are improving, although more needs to be done, according to the ombudsman assigned to report on Steward Health Care System facilities throughout its bankruptcy process.
Suzanne Koenig, the patient care ombudsman appointed by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez, filed her report on the hospitals late Tuesday.
The U.S. District Court in Houston earlier approved the sale of Trumbull Regional Medical Center in Warren and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in Howland to Insight Health System, a Michigan-based health care provider. Due to the sale of the two hospitals, no further reports on them will be filed by Koenig.
Because Sharon Regional Medical Center in Sharon, Pa., remains unsold, Koenig said she intends to file another detailed report on the hospital in 60 days. The commonwealth of Pennsylvania has funded operations at the hospital – until Dec. 1 – while a new owner is found. Meadville Medical Center has expressed interest in operating the hospital.
Trumbull Regional Medical Center
Koenig visited Trumbull Regional on Oct. 1. According to her report, repairs had been made to scope washers, but chillers still required repairs. The hospital was using several portable air conditioning units.
Koenig toured the orthopedic unit, medical/surgery telemetry unit, intensive care unit, emergency department and geriatric and adult psych unit and reported adequate staffing and supplies in each department.
She noted problems with equipment in the kitchen that remains nonfunctional and a freezer that is not sealing tightly.
In the pharmacy, certification of the IV flow hoods, which must be inspected and certified every six months, expired Sept. 30, reportedly due to a lack of payment to Technical Safety Services. Therefore, IV medications must be used immediately or discarded until the inspection is remedied. Also, damage from a flood in the pharmacy in December 2022 still needs to be addressed.
At the time of her visit, there were 67 admitted patients and 11 people in the emergency room waiting for beds.
She reported that 29 registered nurses have resigned recently, including 23 who left after receiving a worker adjustment and retraining notification Aug. 20. The resignations reportedly have impacted the psychiatry, catheterization lab and the emergency department.
Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital
Koenig also visited Hillside on Oct. 1. According to her report, some of her earlier concerns had been alleviated, including a hood replacement and a cooling tower repair.
She reported that the number of patients at the hospital was slowly increasing, from a low of seven on Sept. 3 to 23 on Oct. 1. There had been 41 admissions in September.
All 23 patients were in one care center while two others were closed, allowing for the floors to be stripped and cleaned. Staff members reported that supplies were available and staffing was adequate, unless someone called off sick.
Sharon Regional Medical Center
Koenig visited Sharon Regional on Oct. 2. She reported that she had learned the Christian H. Buhl Legacy Trust has funded numerous repairs at the hospital, and the commonwealth of Pennsylvania paid for a new 300-ton chiller needed for the facility, which was in the process of being installed.
During her visit, there were 58 patients, and no staffing issues were reported by the leadership team. The hospital had increased its adult and child behavioral health teams by 30%, she reported.
Koenig reported that pharmacists have been pursuing additional certifications and instituting new compliance processes.
Pictured at top: Trumbull Regional Medical Center in Warren.
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