Sarasota (Fla.) Memorial Hospital's board has voted against a motion asking for a second investigation into the hospital's COVID-19 policies and treatment protocols, after an initial internal review published in February concluded the hospital saw stronger outcomes among COVID-19 patients than other hospitals.
Hospital spokesperson Kim Savage told Becker's the board voted 6-2 against a motion asking for a second investigation during a meeting April 17. One member of the nine-member board, Britt Riner, was absent.
The vote came after about 45 minutes of public comments, Ms. Savage said. She said board member Bridgette Fiorucci made a motion for a second, independent investigation, but that motion failed after a majority of board members indicated they were satisfied with the results of the report the hospital released publicly in February.
Critics have taken aim at the hospital following federal guidelines, and hospital officials asked police in March to look into death threats made against physicians at Sarasota Memorial.
Physicians and staff at the hospital also faced a slew of abusive threats and emails, although those died down, according to a March 14 email from Ms. Savage.
Some people insinuated the hospital prescribed certain medications for "kickbacks" from pharmaceutical companies, while others touted "alternative treatments" for the virus and used words like "killing fields" and "biochemical warfare," the Herald-Tribune reported. Others thanked clinicians for their work at Sarasota Memorial.