A series of events pointing to shortcomings at Brockton, Mass.-based Good Samaritan Medical Center has led the hospital to be understaffed and overcrowded, The Boston Globe reported Feb. 14.
In 2023, the hospital was cited for immediate jeopardy after reports of a patient collapsing and dying while waiting in the registration line at the emergency department. State health inspectors arrived at the Steward Health Care-owned hospital to investigate and found multiple cases of patients not receiving timely care due to staffing shortages. The hospital submitted a plan to fix the issue and the immediate jeopardy status was removed. Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, told the Globe that inspectors have provided close oversight of the Good Samaritan emergency department since 2021.
On Jan. 31, the financial crisis engulfing Steward Health became public. After falling $50 million behind on year-end rent to Medical Properties Trust, the largest hospital landlord in the U.S., the Dallas-based health system has also received backlash from state and federal lawmakers, Steward employees and concerned community members in response to the risk of hospital closures.
Good Samaritan and other hospitals south of Boston have been in "Tier 3" status for more than a year. The main cause appears to be a fire that shut down Brockton Hospital in February 2023. The hospital anticipates it will reopen this spring, but until then, other local hospitals have been overwhelmed with patients coming for care, and inspectors told the Globe that private equity-backed Steward has not hired enough staff or bought proper supplies.
Good Samaritan President Matt Hesketh told the Globe that since last year's immediate jeopardy findings, it has hired technicians to help assess vital signs of patients in the waiting room and deployed nurse practitioners and physician assistants to triage walk-in patients. The hospital also offers a $40,000 signing bonus for nurses who work in the emergency department.
"We have faced unprecedented challenges over the past few years, however, the safety of our patients and providing excellent, compassionate care is our focus day in and day out," he said. "We remain in full compliance with all guidelines and protocols."