A spokesperson for Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, Calif., confirmed to The Mercury News Jan. 26 that the hospital's COO faced disciplinary action after the hospital allowed local school district staff to receive COVID-19 vaccines ahead of groups with priority. The hospital's owner, HCA Healthcare, contradicted that statement Jan. 27, saying no one was disciplined as a result of the incident, according to The Mercury News.
Santa Clara County barred Good Samaritan Hospital from receiving more COVID-19 vaccines, beyond what it needs to complete vaccination of people who already received an initial dose, after the hospital broke protocol and vaccinated teachers and staff with Los Gatos (Calif.) Union School District. California is in phase 1a of vaccine distribution, which covers healthcare workers and long-term facility residents.
Hospital spokesperson Sarah Sherwood confirmed to The Mercury News Jan. 26 that "disciplinary action has been taken" against COO Gary Purushotham after the hospital broke vaccine distribution protocol. On the afternoon of Jan. 27, a spokesperson for Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA, Antonio Castelan, emailed the publication an updated statement from Good Samaritan CEO Joe DeSchryver.
"We wish to correct a misstatement that is circulating in the news and on social media," the email read, according to the report. "To clarify, no disciplinary action has been taken towards any member of our team related to this incident. As a learning organization, we will use the insights from this entire process to further strengthen our commitment to our mission."
When The Mercury News asked Mr. Castelan about the discrepancy between the information provided by Ms. Sherwood and the updated statement, he said he didn't know "how that confusion came about. That was some sort of miscommunication."
Santa Clara County said it will allow the hospital to receive more COVID-19 vaccine doses when the hospital submits a plan that follows state and county guidelines.
Read the full article from The Mercury News here.