A hospital with Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health responded to an op-ed in a California newspaper accusing the facility of ignoring overcrowding issues.
Retired nurse Elizabeth Gordon wrote Oct. 15 in Lookout Santa Cruz that Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz regularly holds "admitted patients" in the emergency department because the facility doesn't have enough open beds, leading to five- to seven-hour waits in the lobby.
"Staffing is a continuous issue," Ms. Gordon wrote. "The corporate takeover by CommonSpirit Health has done nothing but worsen the situation. Currently there is a focus on cutting staffing instead of any plans of expanding the hospital — which is bursting at the seams and sadly unequipped to handle the health demand of Santa Cruz County's population, graying and otherwise."
She wrote that CommonSpirit must "truly embody their slogan of 'humankindness' so it is more than just a marketing ploy."
In response, hospital spokeswoman Sandy Doucette wrote a letter to the editor Oct. 15 noting that Dominican has hired 297 new nurses in the past two years, rolled out a nurse residency program and partnered with Atlanta-based Morehouse School of Medicine on graduate medical education. The hospital also has a four-star quality rating from CMS, averaging only 15 diversion hours a month, and a "B" grade from Leapfrog for safety, she wrote.
"As we seek new ways to support our community, it's important to recognize the need for services outside of the hospital: nursing homes, homeless shelters, mental health services, and other resources," Ms. Doucette wrote. "A lack of these community resources directly impacts our hospital's ability to provide timely care. Addressing these needs will help ease the pressures in the emergency room and ensure we are always available for those seeking care."